Playing Nice
by o0One.Sky.One.Destiny0o
Summary: The NCIS team has been one man down for quite some time now. Director Vance takes it upon himself to hire a newbie. Mystery surrounds this rookie member, a Marine from California. The team's interest is piqued by the questions surrounding this new Probie.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello All, this is my first NCIS fan fic. Before anyone gets too upset, I did not include Ziva in this story - not because I don't like her - but simply because I wanted to put my own character into the mix...Otherwise, I hart Ziva...But either way, I hope you enjoy this. I certainly had fun writing it. Its completed as of right now and I'm going back through it to edit it and make minor changes. Chapters will go up according to that. _

_Please R&R, let me know what you think of it...If it doesn't get much attention I may not finish posting it and just go onto working on another piece of fiction. God knows I have a few to finish....School and work has been ROUGH._

_Thank you and ENJOY!_

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**-1-**

"God dammit, Vance!" Gibbs growled, standing up from his chair.

"Sit down, Gibbs." The director growled back.

"You cant just add people to our team." He said, sitting down.

"Actually, Special Agent Gibbs, I am the Director of NCIS. I do what is best for my agency." Director Vance growled.

"And I need to do what's best for my team." Gibbs spat.

"You're team needs another man." Vance replied.

"How the _hell_ do you know what _my_ team needs?" Gibbs snarled, striking the table.

"They are all _my_ teams, Gibbs." Director Vance said evenly. He flitted his hand towards the door, "Play nice. Dismissed."

Gibbs stormed our of the Director's office and slammed the door. He was unbelievably furious with the Director for taking the lives of his team into his own hands. DiNozzo and McGee were quite capable Agents. Saying that they "needed" another man was insulting their competence. It did not sit well with Gibbs at all. He was making his way down the stairs when he heard DiNozzo and McGee talking. They had no grasp on the idea of whispering.

"So, this Felix guy," DiNozzo started, "What do we know about him?" He said, walking around McGee's desk squeezing a stress ball.

"Well," McGee said, tapping a few keys, "Not a lot really. We know he has Military ties. Evidently he was in the Marines, based in Pendleton, actually. San Diego, California."

DiNozzo let out an appreciative whistle, "California? Marine?" He chuckled, "Automatic hatred card for the boss. Automatic kiss ass card to the newbie." DiNozzo paused dramatically, "What else?"

McGee tapped a few more keys, "Well honestly? Not much. I'm hitting a few walls here."

"Walls?" DiNozzo said, "What kind of walls?" He grabbed his chair and sided up next to McGee, they were both staring intently at the screen as Gibbs made his way down and around.

"Like 'restricted access' walls," McGee said, "All over the place. I cant even pull up a picture of the guy. Like he doesn't really exist." He said. Tony and McGee let the weight of the statement sink in.

"Is he like an alien?" DiNozzo said. They stared at each other for a few moments, letting their imaginations stir.

"Boys!" Gibbs shouted behind them, causing McGee to jump about two feet off the ground and causing DiNozzo to fall out of his chair.

"Ya boss?" They both responded.

"Shut up." He growled.

"Yes, boss." They nodded.

Gibbs sat down in his chair hard. He sat there for about thirteen seconds and then leapt out of his chair, "I'm going for coffee." He growled and then was gone.

They were quiet until they heard the elevator door ding.

"So does this mean I'm no longer 'Probie'?" McGee smiled.

DiNozzo laughed and made his way over to McGee, "You'll always be my little McProbie." He smiled and gave him a nuggie.

"Knock it off!" McGee growled, slapping at Tony's hands.

"Jeez," Tony said going back to his desk, "Quit being so McTouchy."

----------

Gibbs came back up through the elevator sipping his coffee and tearing through the area as usual. He was brooding over the new agent. He hated rookies and hated training them. Thats why he usually liked DiNozzo to get them used to the day to day things and then Gibbs would sink his teeth into them. However, he usually got someone from the area. He didn't want some Californian Marine who didn't know the town or the people to come stomping in and ruin the team's concordance. _Felix Rainier_. He thought the name had a ring to it and as he turned the corner, he wondered if he might know the ma-

WHAM!

Gibbs slammed directly into a short young woman with bobbed, wispy black hair. Gibbs barely faltered, but the woman landed on her ass, hard.

"SHIT!" She yelled, the short hair falling over her eyes. The strap of the purse that was hanging from her arm had broken and skittered her scant possessions all over the floor. "Fucking HELL!" She growled.

Gibbs looked down at himself, he'd spilled about half of his coffee, some on the floor, the rest on the woman.

His coffee _always_ got spilled and it always pissed him off.

"Hey!" Gibbs growled, "Watch you're mouth." She glared up at him between her bangs and grumbled something else. "Cant you watch where you're going?"

Thats when she scoffed and shot to her feet, "What the hell do you mean watch where _I'm_ going? You were the one tearing around the corner and knocked _me_ on my ass." She spat.

Gibbs looked her up and down, she was a tiny little thing, no more than 5'5". Her hair was jet black, and it was short, rather pixie-like, with little wisps flipping all over her head. Her skin was the palest ivory, her lips were a deep pink and her eyes were very large and lined with thick eyelashes. The most interesting part about her face were her eyes: one cyan blue and one sea green.

"You need to pay more attention to your damn surroundings!" Gibbs shouted back after his quick observation. People were covertly looking over their cubicle walls, watching.

"I was perfectly aware of my surroundings until some Neanderthal came careening around the corner and spilled his _shit_ coffee on me!" The girl yelled back.

DiNozzo and McGee were now leaning around the partition, observing, "Neanderthal?" McGee muttered, a look of pain on his face.

"Shit coffee?" DiNozzo made the sign of the cross, "The poor girl will be vaporized." He said and looked her lithe body up and down, "What a shame." He shook his head, hanging it in mock depsair.

"Shit coffee?" Gibbs growled, stepping his six foot frame into her space. She didn't even flinch, though he was more than a head taller than her.

"You could at least apologize for being such a fu-,"

"SPECIAL AGENT!"

"WHAT!?" Gibbs and the woman both yelled back, turning as they said it.

It was the director. Gibbs looked at the woman, confused as to why she responded.

"Director Vance. Sir," The woman said, snapping to attention and sounding more like a woman than a truck driver, "I apologize for my outburst. It wont happen again."

Vance nodded and then looked to Gibbs, "Well?" He said and Gibbs just rolled his eyes. "Either way," He shrugged walking up to the two now passive agents, "Special Agent Gibbs, I'd like you to meet Special Agent Felix Rainier." The smile widened, "You're rookie."

Felix's head snapped between them so fast she felt like throwing up. Either from the motion, or maybe it was calling her new superior agent a Neanderthal. "Fuck me." She said, not so quietly.

"You better be joking Vance." Gibbs growled. If it were possible, the girl's face paled further, going from a look of absolute horror to blank in less than a second.

"No." The Director smiled, "I'm not."

Felix immediately dropped to her knees, scraping up her belongings and shoving them into her ruined purse. She was whispering profanities to herself and in between those, praying for a quick death.

"Agent Rainier?" The Director said and Felix jumped to her feet. "Lets go to my office." He grabbed her arm which was clutching her broken purse and started pulling her towards the stairs, "Gibbs get your team and meet me in my office." He commanded over his shoulder.

Once at the stairs, Felix started mumbling apologies. Her brain was moving too fast for her mouth, "Jesus sir," She said, breathing hard, "I'm so sorry. Am I going to get fired? Cause I don't really have a back up plan. I mean, I'm sorta banking on this working out, you know?" She said pathetically, but he remained silent, a stern look on his face.

_Shut up Felix. Just shut up and be happy if the government allows you to become a janitor for the post office after this._ She thought, biting her lip lamely. He pulled her into the office and shut the door. She sat down hard on the chair, breathing heavily and hoping there were worse ways to die.

She looked up to the Director hoping to somehow defend herself when she noticed his shoulders were shaking.

"Sir?" She asked, "Sir, are you _laughing_?" She said, appalled.

The door slammed open and Felix shot to her feet as Gibbs tore into the room with two slightly petrified Agents following him.

The director turned, no longer smiling, though it seemed that something was tugging at the corner of his mouth, "Meet special Agent Felix Rainier. The new member of your dream team." He smiled vaguely.

The built attractive one, stepped forward and stuck his hand out to Felix. He was definitely pretty, thats for sure. Perhaps, if she had no scruples she would be interested. However, she had scruples. Oodles of them.

"I'm Anthony DiNozzo." He smiled, "Pleasure."

_Oh and he definitely has less scruples than me_.

Next was a guy who looked like he could be twelve or so, but he was adorable. Felix felt drawn to snuggling with him. "Tim McGee." He smiled, extending his hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Its a pleasure guys." She smiled at them. She turned towards Gibbs, opening her mouth and hoping something eloquent would come out, but he beat her too it, not so eloquently.

"We done here?" He said. The Director shrugged. Gibbs vanished.

Felix felt like melting into the wall.

"Follow us Felix." McGee smiled. "We'll show you around."

She smiled and followed them outside the director's office. "Well, _that_ was a cold douche." Felix said, mostly to herself. Tony and McGee smiled.

"Yes, and he's usually so cordial." Tony said sarcastically.

"Yes," Felix nodded, "I can tell." She looked at them, hoping for some sort of consolation, "I'm basically fucked right?" They nodded, "Like trailer-park-fucked, right?" Another nod. "FUCK!" She rasped and kicked out at the wall.

"Oh you'll fit in splendidly." Tony smiled.

"Obviously," Felix rolled her eyes, "Cause I'm already doing _so_ well."

"Don't freak Felix." McGee said, "He basically hates everyone."

"Oh goodie," Felix sighed, "Okay. Put me to work."

McGee and Tony took her to the squad room and gave her a desk with a computer. McGee sat down and ran her through the operating system and the most useful programs. It was all stuff she'd used before, so she wasn't too worried about it. He finished the tutorial and she asked for a break to go change. She still smelled like shitty coffee.

"Change?" Tony chuckled, "Why? You look grea-, fine." Tony, with the quick save. Nice.

Felix chuckled, "Oh, because I'd rather carve out my eyeball with a rusty nail than stay in a skirt for more than an hour. This was for meeting the Director and you guys." She sighed, "Great first impressions Felix." She grumbled at herself.

McGee just smiled, "Don't stress. Bathroom is in that corner." He pointed.

She nodded a thanks and took off to the bathroom. She stripped off her tan pencil skirt and jacket and white oxford and slid into one of her most resilient outfits. It was a pair of double thick black slacks with hidden zippered cargo pockets, a snug brown T-shirt, her work boots, and her indispensable black coat - that had survived ten years in the Marine Corps with her.

She got back to her desk, tied her purse strap together and started to pull out some pictures. She taped a few up on the monitor.

DiNozzo walked by and gasped, "My god what is _that_?" He pointed to one picture.

Felix laughed, "Thats Dexter, my puppy."

"Sasquatches have puppies?" DiNozzo said quietly.

"You named your dog Dexter?" McGee asked, "As in _Dexter's Laboratory_?"

Felix chuckled, "No, not that Dexter. Dexter as in _Darkly Dreaming Dexter_ by Jeff Lindsay. They have the series on Showtime now." Both gave her blank stares, "Dexter Morgan? Serial Killer with a heart of gold?" Still blank.

"Sounds endearing." DiNozzo said, sounding not so interested, perhaps even a little disgusted. Silence ensued.

McGee smiled, "So, California?"

Felix smiled, "Yes. California. I moved there about 10 years ago when I joined the Marine Corps. Went to school for a while."

"What'd you get your degree in?" DiNozzo asked.

"I got two degrees: Biochemistry and Psychology with an emphasis in Criminal Psychology." Felix smiled. Gibbs walked into the squad room unnoticed and grabbed his gun and badge from his corner drawer.

"Oh yeah?" McGee said, smiling, his ears blushing red. "What did you in the Corps?"

Felix smiled, as Gibbs walked over to their circle, standing behind he boys. He grinned.

"Well," Felix smiled, "I taught biochemical ware fare preparations to outgoing troops to Iraq. I did some psychological profiling classes for more outgoing troops. Then I was traveling for a while around to different military bases around the world."

"Wow." DiNozzo smiled in a sensual way, "Thats pretty interesting. I'd like to tell you about a time I went to -,"

WHAP!

WHAP!

Followed by resounding whines.

"Gear up." Gibbs growled and starting walking towards the elevator with everyone scrambling to keep up. DiNozzo tossed her a bag.

"Thanks Tony." She smiled. He walked with her to the elevator.

"Don't worry about it. We've all been there." He smiled.

"Oh, so you insulted your commanding officer before even being assigned to his team?" Felix said sarcastically.

Tony frowned, "Uh, no, but I feel for you." He patted her on the back a little lamely. She rolled her eyes. "Hey boss," Tony smiled siding up to him, "Rainier here was a Marine. Another one on the team, right? Ooh Rah." He looked at Felix and winked.

Felix looked up and saw Gibbs eying her over his shoulder. His eyes dragged over her body and Felix held her breath. "Ooh Rah." He said and Felix believed there was a second there where he at least thought about smiling.

-----

The elevators opened to the garage and Felix gaped.

"DiNozzo, with me. McGee, you're with the rookie." Gibbs said making his way over to one of the cars.

"Wow!" She smiled as the team walked over to the two gleaming Dodge Chargers.

"Oh?" DiNozzo smiled, laying on his charm, "You like Chargers? The colors real nice, huh?" He said condescendingly.

Felix smiled wide, "No, the color sucks." She said, "But the 6.1 Liter OHV V8 engine," She winked at him, "That's to die for." She opened the door to the car McGee was driving and looked at Tony speculatively, "But the color really doesn't go so well with your highlights." She grimaced and climbed in.

Tony ran a hand through his hair, "What's wrong with my highlights?" He said a little weakly.

"Tony!" Gibbs shouted, but he was slightly grinning. "Get in the car." He said climbing in.

"Ya boss." Tony said and hopped in.

Once McGee got into the car Felix looked over at him and he was smiling. "He wont get butt hurt will he?"

He smiled, "No, Tony's tough."

"Good," She smiled, "I hate pussies." McGee chuckled. "So, I'll never have a name, will I?"

McGee smiled and shook his head, "No. You will be the butt of all jokes until possibly it turns back to me." He sighed.

Felix smiled, "Okay McGee, I promise," She raised her right hand, "I will be the butt of all jokes for as long as I possibly can. I was a female Marine for shit's sake. I can handle DiNozzo."

McGee smiled, "Yea, he'll try to get you to break, but essentially, he's a good guy."

"You all are." She smiled.

"Even Gibbs?" He chuckled.

She nodded, "He's cold." She said, empty, "But not heartless. Lots of pride, but not the bad kind, the kind he deserves. Smart, honest..." She thought for a few moments, "Dangerous."

McGee looked over at her, "Really?"

Felix chuckled, "Sorry. Part of the profiler in me."

McGee smiled, "Well either way you're right."

They pulled up to the crime scene and parked the car behind Gibbs and DiNozzo. They were out of the way and making their way over. The house itself was small, quaint you might call it, but pretty. It was a nice little box, with hacienda charm, but in mute colors. It was very different from the haciendas Felix remembered from San Diego.

"DiNozzo, follow me." Gibbs said when everyone was out of their cars. "McGee you're on photos." He kept walking.

"Sir?" Felix said, taking a deep breathe to calm herself against his obvious hint.

"Coffee." Gibbs shouted over his shoulder.

Felix stopped and grit her teeth, took a deep breath and regained composure, "Sure!" She yelled after him, "I'd love some." DiNozzo let out a bark of laughter.

Gibbs froze, slapped Tony on the head and turned slowly, "What?"

Felix smiled and walked up to him, "Oh," She stepped closer, "You mean you'd _like_ some coffee? See I don't communicate in grunts or clicks. So what was that again?"

He stepped closer, towering over her without her heels on, "Coffee." He said softly, "Now." He snarled.

"Of course," Felix said sweetly, "_Sir."_ She snarled back. She turned to Tony and McGee, "Want anything?" She smiled at them sweetly. They opened their mouths, but Gibbs shot them a scathing look. "No? Okay. Be right back." She winked and walked off, cursing under her breath.

_You'll be fired in a week_. She thought bitterly, _Fuck._

"Balls of tungsten, that one." Tony smiled, following Gibbs as he made his way into the house. "I like her."

McGee rolled his eyes. Gibbs turned and glared at Tony.

"Shutting up boss."

They went into the scene and started looking around, taking pictures of the front room. Though it was surprisingly clean they took pictures anyway. Who knows what could jump out at a later date.

They followed the narrow hallway back into the rest of the house. The bathroom was surprisingly clean, there was the kitchen which looked fine, and a laundry room which looked unused. The last door led to the victim's bedroom. That was a different story.

The victim was on the bed and completely naked. However, all of the victim's exposed skin was covered by blood. Her long blonde hair was matted with it. Her face, a mask of it.

"Jesus boss." DiNozzo said pausing his picture taking.

The amount of incisions on the front of her body numbered in the hundreds. They were less than three inches long, the skin pulled back, opening up and revealing deep tissue and muscle. The bed underneath her was soaked with blood, but that wasn't the end of it. Her face was brutalized: one eye was bruised shut, her cheek had a gash in it to the bone, and her lips were swollen, bruised, and split.

Felix came back with the coffees in one hand and her bag slung over the opposite shoulder. She walked up the steps to the house and entered through the front door. It was a large front room. Most of the walls were lined up with shelves full of books and movies, it looked a lot like her old place. She sighed.

"McGee?" She shouted.

"Back here!" He replied.

Felix followed the voice back through the narrow hallway and into the bedroom. She froze at the sight.

"Are you gonna puke?" DiNozzo asked, holding out an evidence bag.

She swallowed slowly, "No. I've seen worse." She said softly. She walked over to Gibbs and handed him his coffee, he looked up at her and she smiled, "I only spit in it a little bit." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"McGee, take her and do more pictures in the front room and kitchen." Gibbs said

"Ya boss." McGee said, walking out to the front room.

"Tony," Felix smiled and handed him a cup, "Just how you like it."

He took it, gave it a smell and smiled, "Oh, you, I like." He smiled. "Thanks."

"Welcome." She smiled and followed McGee with another cup for him.

"That was sweet, wasn't boss?" Tony smiled. "She seems really nice. I think she'll be a good addition to the team." Gibbs was still silent. "On it boss. Evidence."

Felix was out front with McGee, shooting pictures. "Hey Tim," She said absently, "Doesn't this place seem a little _clean_ to you?"

McGee finished another shot and looked around, "Well yes. I feel like I'm in a plastic bubble."

Felix laughed, "No, I mean," She looked around, "It feels, _staged_."

"Maybe she's OCD?" McGee said.

Felix shrugged, "Could be." She walked over to the book shelfs and was about to run her fingers on the spines and stopped. "Her books are perfectly aligned and arranged in size and alphabetical order."

"Cant be." McGee walked over to take a look. "Wow. You're right."

"What, you think I'm cross eyed?" She smiled. "Look, this might sound strange, but I feel like this place has been cleaned. That its been set up."

"You think?" McGee asked. He stepped back, looked around the front room. "It does seem a little...symmetrical?"

Felix nodded, "I mean, if you look at her room its not even remotely as tidy as this."

McGee snapped a few more pictures, "It could be for company."

"True," Felix said and snapped a few more pictures, "Anyone talk to her family?"

"Hasn't been notified." McGee said.

Felix turned and looked at him, "No one has notified them? Who called this in?"

McGee looked around, "I think an anonymous tip."

"Anonymous tip?" Felix responded. "What was the location of the call?"

McGee looked at her, "I don't know."

Felix rolled her eyes, "Who talked to the first on the scene?"

"DiNozzo." McGee said turning around. "Why?"

Felix smiled, "I have an idea."

"What's that?" McGee said.

"We need to track the call," Felix said, "Which you would have done anyways," She smiled, "But I have a feeling that the phone call came from this house or at least right outside this house."

"You think he called?" McGee asked.

"Oh, I do." Felix smiled.

"How could you know?" McGee asked.

"That is something that our dear Abby could tell us." A Scottish voice said from the doorway.

"How?" McGee asked, turning.

Felix turned as well to see a squat older man with brown hair and glasses standing in the doorway. A skinnier lankier man with similar hair and glasses stood behind him with the ME's kit. "Trace the number from the police dispatch and see where it came from. We could swab the phone for traces of saliva. Run the DNA and we could see if there are any anomalies."

"That's precisely what I was thinking." The man smiled, "Allow me the pleasure" he came closer, "My name is Dr. Donald Mallard -,"

"You can call me ducky," McGee said in a horrible faux Scottish accent, "Everyone else does." He smiled widely.

"Yes," Ducky looked at him, "But I hope I don't sound quite that doltish when I say it."

"Special Agent Felix Rainier." She smiled.

"Ah!" Ducky said excitedly, "_You're_ Felix? I bet that was a pleasant surprise for the team. We had all speculated that you were a male."

Felix laughed, "Sorry to disappoint. However, I am in perfect female working condition."

He smiled wide, "Delightful. I'm sure Anthony would have ferreted out that soon enough. He's quite insatiable."

Felix smiled, instantly charmed by Ducky. "So I've noticed."

"Hey!" A very angry voice shouted behind them. "Are you done screwing around?"

Felix spun on her heel, "No sir, we're _done_ with taking pictures, we've only just _started_ screwing around." She spat sarcastically.

"Well shut it and start collecting evidence." Gibbs growled, "Duck the body's in here." He turned and disappeared.

"Nicely handled," Ducky smiled and nodded, "It was a pleasure."

"Ducky." She smiled. The younger skinnier man shuffled past and nodded at her.

Once they were gone, McGee rushed to her side, "Are you _trying_ to get Gibbs to hate you?"

Felix glared at McGee and he almost jumped back because of its intensity, "If he inherently hates everyone then there is no good reason for me to take his shit and suck up to him."

McGee shrugged, "Hm, I never thought about it like that."

Felix shrugged, "Its something I learned from my dad: only weak people expect ass kissing, the ones who you need to keep on your good side are the ones that hate kiss asses more than smart asses." She smiled, "Luckily I fit that bill."

"Nice." He smiled and they started to dust for prints.

"I know. I'm real special." She smiled happily.

"We've noticed." McGee said and blushed, "Sorry, that came out weird. What I meant to say was that, uh, I've never met anyone with different colored eyes before."

"Yes, I know. Its distracting." She smiled, "But so are tits." She shrugged.

McGee stifled a chuckle. "Do you have family around here?"

Felix was silent for a moment, "No. No family." McGee didn't really know how to respond to that. He was going to ask her about hobbies when-,

"You better be talking about fingerprints." Gibbs growled as he stormed through the front room. Felix was still silent, "No cute remark?"

She bit her lip, frustrated, she wanted to show confidence, not get fired, "Not right now sir."

"Good." He walked over to McGee, "What do you have for me?"

"Uh, nothing so far sir." McGee said.

Gibbs looked around, "Nothing? What the hell have you been doing?"

"Uh, I, uh-,"

Felix snapped, "We've gone through everything but the last two feet of the room, sir. The entire place has been wiped down."

Gibbs walked over to her and stepped into her space, his face only a few inches from hers, "Wiped down?"

"No fingerprints, no fibers, not even dust." McGee added from afar.

"What the hell does that mean?" Gibbs spat angrily walking away from Felix. Everyone stayed silent. "Rainier, I asked you a question."

She looked at him, confused, "Sir?"

"Don't you have a Criminal psychology degree? Give me a theory." He spat, pacing the room.

Felix nodded, "Well, as McGee and I were going through the scene shooting pictures I noticed that the place is absolutely clean, even before we dusted for prints."

"OCD?" Tony added as Ducky and the boy carried out the victim's body.

Felix shook her head, "Obsessive compulsives are not selective. They are always obsessive compulsive about everything they do. They aren't OCD in the front room and not in the kitchen, or in this case the bedroom."

"So?" Gibbs growled, getting increasingly annoyed.

"Jesus, change your tampon," Felix spat, Tony and McGee masked their laughter as coughs, "Someone wiped this place clean. Not just wiped it clean, but moved things, organized. I'd say whoever killed her was OCD. The cuts fit the profile as well."

Gibbs nodded, "Anything else."

Felix stepped forward, "McGee said the first arriving officers said that the body was discovered because of an anonymous tip. The call will obviously be traced by McGee, here, when we get back, but just in case, I'd like to swab the phone for saliva, see if I can get some DNA. Test for anomalies."

Gibbs looked her up and down, "Good thinking." He said, "Follow through." He walked through the front door with the phone to his ear.

She ran over to McGee excitedly, "McGee can you please take pictures of the crowd outside?"

"Why?" McGee asked.

Gibbs walked back in, "Because, if he called from the scene he'll most likely be here to check out his handy work." He stared at McGee, "Go." McGee shuffled out.

"Good thinking DiNozzo." Gibbs said.

Felix bit her tongue.

"Boss, that was all Felix." DiNozzo said.

Gibbs smiled, "Good DiNozzo. Honesty is best. I was hoping you'd try to take credit and then she'd kick your ass." DiNozzo laughed, a little scared. "I'd watch out. She's special ops."

Felix's head shot up, "How did-," She shut her mouth and Gibbs just smiled.

"We got everything?" Gibbs asked eyeing her.

"Yea boss." DiNozzo said.

"Let's head out." He smiled.

Felix just nodded.

----------

When they got back to the NCIS Gibbs told Felix to take the evidence down to the forensic lab and she obliged - obviously.

She rolled a cart full of evidence down the hallway towards what sounded like a rave. She walked into the room rolling the cart and bobbing her head to the music.

"Hellooo?" Felix shouted over the music. The room was dark, only dimly lit by the LCD monitors lining the walls and the shelves.

The lights suddenly came on, the music went off and it screwed with Felix's sensory equilibrium. She felt a little wobbly and thought she might be hallucinating when a girl stepped out in front of her wearing three inch platform mary janes, red and black striped thigh high socks, a black mini skirt with chains, a button down oxford that looked like it had blood on it, a bright red spiked dog collar and a pristine white lab coat.

"Hi." The girl smiled in her gravely voice, very enthusiastic.

Felix blinked, "Hi." She smiled. "Sorry, I lost my cognitive processes for a moment there." She smiled, "I fucking love Android Lust."

The girl's jaw dropped. "Y-y-you _like_ Android Lust?"

"Yeah!" Felix smiled, "I have every album known to human existence on my ipod."

"OMIGOD!" She yelled. "This is mind blowing." The girl ran closer to the Felix, "I don't think I've had anyone come in here, in my history of working here, and say that they like my music. Let alone KNOW the bands name!"

Felix smiled, "Well I have a pretty eclectic music collection. I have many different tastes." Felix stuck out her hand, "I'm Felix."

"I'm Abby." She smiled, her crimson lips stretching over white teeth.

"I have ev-,"

"WAIT!" Abby shouted, holding up her hands. Felix froze and they stood in the silence for almost thirty seconds. "Felix?" Felix nodded, "As in Special Agent Felix Rainier?" Felix nodded again Abby looked her up and down, "My mind is _blown_." Abby said, walking around the table getting very close to her and examining her, "I thought you were a dude."

Felix smiled, "That seemed to be the consensus." She laughed, "Felix isn't exactly feminine. My parents may have been on something."

"Aren't they all?" Abby asked.

"Most likely," Felix laughed, "So, this is the evidence for the Macuso murder."

"Looks good." Abby said, signing the chain of evidence sheet. Abby started going to work and Felix stuck around.

"Hey," Felix said, "I was wondering if you need help?"

Abby's head whipped around, "H-help?"

Felix put her hands up, "I don't want to break into your space. I worked in a forensics lab at Pendleton. I know people think Californians are idiots, but UCSD has one of the most advanced medical centers in the US. I just..." She looked down, "Its quite the sausage fest up there... You have music I like..." She waved her hands, "And DiNozzo keeps drooling on me."

Abby started laughing, "Ok. I trust you." Felix smiled.

"Ya." Felix said, "Me too."

-----

Gibbs made his way down to lab. The night was ending and he was about to go home and spend the night working on his newest creation. He just wanted to stop by Abby's to say goodnight and ask her about the forensics of the most recent murder.

The elevator dinged open and he walked into Abby's lab - it was surprisingly bright. He looked around and walked back to Abby's enclosed office. The door whizzed open and he saw Abby...and Felix.

Felix was standing there with her shirt off and her pants unbuttoned and riding dangerously low on her hips.

"Fuck me." Felix whispered. Abby giggled. Gibbs was staring, his mouth hanging slightly open. Felix stood there, frozen in absolute horror, her feet glued to the floor. She was little, but what was easily hidden by clothes was now exposed. Her body was built with lean muscle covered by smooth ivory skin. Her breasts were big enough to be enjoyable but not enough to look fake. They were clad in a black lace push up bra that was making something in Gibbs's stomach stir.

"Sir." Felix mumbled. Abby was still staring at Gibbs's staring at Felix. "Um, we were showing each other our tattoos." Felix said.

"Yeah!" Abby grabbed Felix's arm and spun her to the side, lifting up her arm, "Check this out!" There was an intricate tattoo on her right side, stretching from the bottom of her breast to about 6 inches below her hip, which Abby graciously pulled down the pants to expose. The tattoo was tribal style of a one winged wolf. The wolf itself was lined with with black with hints of black, purple, blue and crimson within it to make it seem opalesque, like sunlight on an oil slick. The wing spread onto her lower back, instead of feathers, it was made of black and purple flames.

Gibbs dragged his eyes over her body some more, "Impressive."

Felix pulled down her arm and blew the bangs that were in her eyes. "Thank you sir." Felix grabbed Abby's lab coat and threw it over her body quickly.

Abby smiled, grabbed Gibbs and pulled him into the actual lab, leaving Felix in her office. Abby leaned into Gibbs, "I thought you only liked red heads."

Gibbs scoffed, "Abbs..."

"Ok, work first..." She winked.


	2. Chapter 2

**-2-**

Two weeks had passed since Felix first joined the team. Her first case stuck with her, primarily because it had gone cold. There was no evidence of an intruder, though it was obvious that someone had to sneak in and put over two hundred cuts all over Jennifer Macuso's body.

Her original theory was correct. The anonymous tip came from the dead woman's home. They found traces of DNA that didn't match the victim, any family or any friends that were known to frequent her dwelling. They also ran it through the databases but received no hits. Felix knew it was the guy. She just didn't know _who_ the guy was. She was going through the crowd photos again, but no one was jumping out at her. It was infuriating.

She was sitting at her desk, chewing on her pen when Abby came in and sat on her desk. "How's it going?" She smiled.

"Ok." Felix said, nibbling on her pen.

"Awe, what's wrong?" Abby asked, then suddenly she gasped, "Your date! How was it?"

Felix rolled her eyes, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Date?" Gibbs grinned, walking into the squad room.

"Shit." Felix rasped, glaring up at Abby. They were silent for a few moments.

"So," Gibbs said, sitting at his desk, "How was it?"

Felix flicked Abby's thigh and she yelped, "Don't you have emails to answer?" She said to Gibbs. It was well known he didn't know how to function near anything electrical. He just grinned.

"Well?" He smiled.

Abby rolled her eyes, "You may as well just say it. He probably already knows anyway."

Felix glared at Gibbs, "If you are stalking me on my dates, I'm going to be extremely pissed. Especially if I'm not getting laid at any of them."

"Laid?" DiNozzo said walking through smiling wide, "What are we talking about?"

"Date." Abby said.

"Whose?" McGee said coming in a few seconds after.

"Dammit Abby!" Felix growled.

"Well?" DiNozzo smiled, sitting at his desk.

Felix rolled her eyes, "It was fine."

"Doesn't sound fine." Gibbs smiled, leaning back in his desk. He'd taken a liking to Felix. She was smart, with a dry sense of humor. She was tough and he had witnessed her ability to keep up with the team and men about three times her size. He gave her shit and she shot it right back - he loved it.

"Fucked up, Insecure, Neurotic, Emotional. F.I.N.E." Felix growled, "Fine." Gibbs chuckled. "It was an all right date. He bought me dinner, we went to a bar. Then we kissed." She grimaced.

"Was it good?" DiNozzo asked.

"Does it look like it was good?" Abby said, the look of pain, still on Felix's face.

She rolled her eyes, "The kiss ruined it."

"Why?" McGee asked.

Felix whimpered, "Do I really have to talk about this?"

Gibbs smiled, "I could just tell them."

Felix jumped up, "How would _you_ know?" She snarled. He just smiled. "I hate you." She rasped.

"Come on, spill!" McGee smiled.

Felix banged her head on her desk and muttered pitifully, "He tried to _spank_ me." Everyone erupted into laughter. Felix kept banging her head on her desk.

"Spank you?" Abby sputtered.

"Spank me." Felix resigned. "He didn't even get past 1st base, but he tried to spank me."

Gibbs was chuckling, "What happened to him?"

Felix glared at him, "He went to the ER." Everyone started laughing again. "I hate you all."

"Oh Felix," DiNozzo smiled, "We need to house train you."

"DiNozzo." She growled.

"Yes spanky?" He smiled, slapping his right hand with his left, "Yee-haw."

"Dick!" She rasped, raising her stapler and getting ready to throw it.

Gibbs let out a sharp whistle, "Hey!" Felix lowered her stapler, glaring at Tony who was cowering. "Where are we on Morales?" Everyone was quiet. Gibbs slammed his fist on his desk, "Morales. Now!" He growled.

Everyone shuffled to grab they're papers on the Morales case. And of course, they all started talking at the same time.

"Hey! One at a time. McGee." Gibbs said.

McGee smiled, "Well, we ran all the information on Petty Officer Diego Morales. The last call he made was from his home, two days ago. His cell phone is off. No transactions have been made in the last two days. He's had large amounts of cash deposited every other month."

"Cash?" Gibbs said, looking at DiNozzo.

"Gang ties, specifically to Alejandro Nogales. The cash transactions are clean. There's no obvious traces, but from what we're hearing Morales is tied into some bad shit." DiNozzo added. Gibbs looked to Felix.

"Alejandro Nogales. He seems to be the head of this happy family. He controls large territories, each gang controls a specific area. They monitor drugs, guns, prostitution, etc. They control the territories and the commodities, Nogales skims off the top. Doesn't seem like much, but controlling say 15 different territories all dealing in illegal contraband for booko-bucks, he skims quite a bit." Felix added.

"Nogales owns a club that Morales frequents." DiNozzo said. "The Risque Disque."

"It sounds like a slutty soup." Abby said, still perched on Felix's desk.

"Abby," Felix looked up at her, "Thats a bisque."

"Right." Abby nodded, "Wait...Risque Disq-," Her eyes shot open, "OMIGOD!" Abby looked down at Felix, their eyes met and they both started laughing.

Gibbs walked over in his silent way and stood behind Abby, "Care to share?"

Abby and Felix stopped laughing, "Nothing sir." Felix muttered.

"Doesn't seem like nothing." He grinned. "Seems like someone knows the place." Felix and Abby's eyes got wide. "Maybe last Friday?"

Felix shot up, "You _are_ stalking us!" She rasped. She looked over and DiNozzo and McGee were sitting at their desks silently, covertly listening. She glared at them and they both started typing loudly.

Gibbs smiled, "Its good to know where my agents and my lab tech are going late at night and highly intoxicated."

"We weren't _highly_ intoxicated." Abby said lightly.

Felix giggled and then coughed, "I'd say moderately intoxicated."

"So you know the place?" Gibbs asked.

Felix rolled her eyes, "Yes. I know the place."

"Ever seen Morales?" DiNozzo added.

"I've only been there once, sir." Felix said, glaring at Abby.

"Looks like we're going again." Gibbs smiled. "A little reconnoissance mission."

"Club?" Tony's ears perked.

"Club." Gibbs said.

"Club?" McGee said, his voice shaky.

"Club." Gibbs confirmed.

"Cluuub!" DiNozzo said excitedly. Gibbs shot him a glare. "Uh, reconnoissance, sir." he coughed.

"I want you guys back here in an hour with a change of clothes." Gibbs growled.

"Under cover?" McGee asked, nervously.

"McGee _what_ is your problem?" Gibbs asked.

"I just," He said looking at Felix, Abby, and DiNozzo who were both smiling, paying avid attention, "I just don't really dance. I've never really _been_ to a club. I wouldn't know-,"

"Fine, you're in the truck, go get everything organized. I want wireless ear wigs, mics, and cameras on me, DiNozzo, and Felix." Gibbs muttered.

"Awe can I come?" Abby smiled.

"Don't you have some evidence to run?" Gibbs glared at her playfully.

Abby jumped up and saluted him, "Yes sir!" She said in a deep voice and ran back down to her lab.

"One hour." Gibbs growled and then he walked away.

Felix looked up at DiNozzo and they smiled widely at each other. "Dance party?" Felix smiled.

"Dance party." He nodded. Felix clicked her mouse and an intense techno song came over her speakers and her and DiNozzo started dancing around the center of the squad room, raving.

Felix flipped her head around, did a quick turn and rammed right into Gibbs. "FU - dge." She muttered. He had his game face on and he looked past Felix to DiNozzo who was still going. "DiNozzo." Felix muttered. She grabbed a three inch pad of post its off her desk, turned sharply and yelled, "DiNozzo!" He didn't stop going so she tossed the pad at his head and it thunked off.

"Hey!" He growled, turning and seeing Gibbs. "Shit." He rasped. "On it boss. One hour." And DiNozzo was gone.

Felix turned and sat at her desk, flipping through the pictures from the crime scene. "Felix, you need to get ready."

Her eyes widened nervously, "It will take too long for me to get home and change sir. I'll just go in this." She nodded.

Gibbs looked her up and down, the clothes she was wearing were not bad, but it screamed _cop_. "With me Felix." He said and started walking away.

She jumped up and followed him, "On your nine boss." She smiled, siding up to him. Gibbs looked down at her and smiled as they made their way into the elevator. "Where are we going?" She asked. Gibbs looked down at her, grinning. "Ok, be cold, silver fo-," One hand slapped on her mouth to shut it. Gibbs actually laughed.

The elevator door dinged open and Gibbs started walking, he turned to say something and Felix wasn't there. He turned around and she was still in the elevator, looking horrified. "Coming?" He asked and she nodded in response, her eyes closed as she made her way out the door, staring at the floor.

"Where are we going?" She said, clearing her throat.

"We have an under cover clothes locker." He smiled. "I'm not going home either, so I'm going to steal some clothes. I figured you could too."

She looked up at him and smiled, "We have undercover clothes?"

"We aren't the FBI, but yes, for emergency purposes." Gibbs smiled.

"Other people wear them?" She said distastefully.

"Like the FBI, we do have a washing machine." Gibbs smiled. They got to the door and Gibbs took out his key. He put it in and it was sticking.

"I could pick the lock faster." Felix smiled, leaning on the wall. The door popped open and Gibbs extended his arm, allowing her to go first. He stood in the doorway and watched as Felix walked through the hanging clothes, touching all the material with her fingertips. "You not looking?"

"Pick something up for me." He smiled, watching her hair cascade over her large eyes. "Gotta make an old man look hip." He chuckled.

"Impossible." She smiled, peaking over the clothes rack to see him.

"Impossible?" He scoffed, "Well gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." He growled.

Felix smiled, lowering behind the clothes racks and coming out from behind them, handing him some clothes, "No, its impossible for you to be an old man." She looked at him shyly, smiling up at him from under her bangs.

He'd never seen her look like that before. Her eyes were mesmerizing. He took the clothes, "Thanks." She stepped back. "What are you getting?"

She ran her fingers over the clothes again, "Not sure yet. Can I call Abby?" He shook his head. "Damn. She'll be bitter at me." She grabbed a few things off the rack and walked back over to him.

"Ready?" He smiled. She just nodded and followed him out. He walked to the elevator and pressed the button, turning to talk to her but she made her way to the stairs. "Where are you going?"

She stopped at the door, "I'm going to get Abby to help me choose something for tonight."

"What is it with women?" Gibbs chuckled.

Felix smiled, "Well I'll probably need to borrow some of her underwear." Gibbs chuckled and Felix walked through the door, heading for Abby's.

The elevator door opened and Gibbs walked in. He pressed the button for the squad room, his thoughts going back to the night he saw her tattoo. He smiled as the doors closed.

----------

"Oh I would _love_ to see what happens when the team sees you like this." Abby smiled, adjusting Felix's shirt and skirt. "You're not gonna keep these right?"

Felix looked down at herself, "Why?" She looked up at Abby desperately, "Do I look bad? Should I put a burka on?"

Abby laughed, "No, you're going to kill them."

Felix smiled, "Like head splosions?"

"More like nuclear fall out." Abby laughed. "Ok, you're ready."

"Awesome." Felix smiled, grabbing her jacket and throwing it on.

"Good luck, be safe." She smiled and hugged her. Felix hesitantly wrapped her arms around Abby.

"Thank you." She smiled and put all of herself into the hug.

-------

"Where the hell is Rainier?" Gibbs growled, tugging at his clothes and adjusting them. He wasn't used to dressing up.

"Girl things, boss." DiNozzo smiled adjusting his shirt and sleeves. He looked at Gibbs, "Nice duds boss."

"DiNozzo, shut up." Gibbs growled.

"Actually," Felix said, coming into the squad room holding a box, "I was just down in the dungeon picking up some toys."

"Oh medieval," DiNozzo smiled following her to her desk, "I like it."

Felix dropped the box on the table and removed her coat, placing it on her chair. She turned to start telling them about her toys when she saw the looks on their faces. "What?"

"Jesus." DiNozzo sighed.

"What!?" She growled at DiNozzo. She looked to Gibbs, he was eyeing her hungrily. She swallowed heavily.

"We're trying to blend in here Felix, not cause a riot." He said, looking her up and down.

She was wearing an amazingly short straight leather skirt that was about eight inches above her knees that exposed a copious amount of muscular and soft looking legs. The front of her shirt was tied at her neck and it cowled low to expose a glorious amount of cleavage, it came to a point at the waistband of her skirt that hung dangerously low on her hips. The back was a piece of string. She was also in a pair of black, studded ankle boots that gave her a few inches.

She smiled at Gibbs, "I will blend in." She walked over to Gibbs swaying her hips, "Every girl in that place will be dressed like me or in less. Also," She smiled excitedly, going back to the box, "I'll have every man in the place looking at these babies," She motioned to her breasts, "And with my camera, I'll catch a good look at them."

"How?" Gibbs said, trying to look in her shirt, "You have a high powered lens in there?"

She slapped him lightly on the cheek and he just chuckled, "No." She reached into the box and pulled out a bag for each of them. "Each bag contains a wireless ear wig. You guys have lapel pins for mics, wired only for human voice frequency so that it will pick up your voice or anyone extremely close to you. Cameras are on button snaps."

"You?"

"Ear wig." She popped hers in. "Mic." She pulled out a pair of large dangly earrings and clipped them on. "Camera." She smiled, pulling out a necklace with a large opal pendant. She clipped it on and it hung perfectly above her cleavage.

"Very good." Gibbs smiled. "Get ready boys." They smiled and started clipping on their mics and cameras.

Felix finished arranging herself and when she looked up she saw Gibbs fumbling with the tiny camera, "Stop, stop, you'll hurt yourself." She smiled grabbing the camera from him. He smiled and she unbuttoned his shirt, clipping the fake button tops on and finally the camera. Her fingers brushed the skin of his chest and she almost shivered. He was radiating contained heat and it made her tingle. Her fingers were plucking at his clothes and he had a good time watching the blush rise on her pale cheeks. She finished buttoning up his shirt.

"Thanks." He said huskily. Felix looked up at him through her hair, in her shy way.

"Welcome." She said softly. She stepped back, "Check Abby?"

"Check Felix."

"Check Abby?" Gibbs said, watching Felix.

"Check Gibbs."

"Check Abby?"

"Check DiNozzo."

"Check Abby?"

"Check McGee," Abby said, "You guys are set. McGee will be in the van with the rest of the transmitting equipment. I'll be the back up at the lab. If you need to isolate frequencies, you can. Just ask. Good luck!"

"Thanks Abbs." Everyone said.

"Alright." Gibbs looked around at his team, "Lets roll." He walked to the elevator with the team behind him, "Felix you're with me. DiNozzo and McGee need to focus on driving."

"Yes boss." Felix smiled.

"Damn."DiNozzo sighed.

----------

"DiNozzo stop fucking around." Gibbs growled as he sipped his drink.

DiNozzo detached his eyes from some girl dancing, "Bourbon boss?"

"Coke." Gibbs growled.

"Looks too thick for coke." Felix smiled, leaning against the bar, sipping on a cranberry and club soda. Men kept walking by her, looking her up and down, "Getting good looks Abby? McGee?"

"Not as good as you are." DiNozzo smiled, sipping on his Pepsi.

Felix smiled, "Don't choke on anything." She growled and DiNozzo sputtered in his drink, coughing lightly.

"Any hits?" Gibbs asked.

"No facial recognition yet for Morales or Nogales." McGee responded.

"DiNozzo, focus." Gibbs growled.

"I am boss. I am." He smiled, watching a Latino girl twisting on the dance floor.

"Anything to report Felix, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked again.

"Not me." Felix smiled.

"Clear skies over here, with a chance of _laid_." DiNozzo chuckled.

"Ew." Felix spat.

"DiNozzo..." Gibbs growled.

"Sorry boss." DiNozzo said quickly, "I know you liked that, Felix."

"Fuck you DiNozzo." Felix smiled.

"Anytime," DiNozzo smiled, "Just keep on the shoes." Felix just laughed.

"I'm going to gut you." She said sweetly. She looked around and her eyes fell on Gibbs. He stuck out, a lot. It wasn't the age that mattered. It was the fact that he was looking around, his eyes not settling on any young women. He wouldn't even flirt with women who were eyeing and approaching him. He _did_ look pretty good. "Boss, relax." Felix said, "You look like a cop."

"I am a cop." He said gravely.

"No shit sir, but," She looked around, "Chase a little tail. Look interested."

Gibbs barely smiled, "Hard to do that when they could be your daughter."

Felix smiled, "Sir, women have been fumbling with your zipper all night and you haven't even noticed. Its okay to be a creeper. Look at DiNozzo."

"Hey I love high school graduates. They're our future." He smiled.

"DiNozzo..." Gibbs said sounding exasperated.

"Sorry boss." DiNozzo said quickly.

"Sick." Felix said.

"You love it." He chuckled.

"You wish." Felix smiled, sipping at her drink. She was looking around again, watching the men and women passing her and keeping her eyes open for Morales or Nogales. Her eyes came to rest on a group of young men across the dace floor, in the VIP section.

They were dressed in baggy jeans, loose shirts, and gaudy hanging jewelry. All of them were heavily muscled, between 5'8" and 6'3" tall, and young - probably not of age. Beer was hanging from their hands as they smoked what _looked_ like cigarettes, but smelled quite different. They were standing around nodding to each other, mumbling something and pointing towards the bar. They looked like they were talking about someone.

Felix followed their line of vision and the direction they were pointing and found Gibbs, sipping on his cola. "Shit." Felix growled.

"What?" McGee responded.

"Gibbs," Felix said, starting to walk over as the group of men mobilized towards the bar, "Gibbs, you've caught someone's eye. Seven o'clock, group of four."

Gibbs was silent for a moment, "So?"

"So..." Felix said annoyed, "If they make you, they'll either kick you out, or kick the shit out of you."

Gibbs sipped his drink, "Let them try." He said seriously.

The men started walking faster and they were making a beeline towards Gibbs. "Shit." Felix said, pushing through the crowd towards Gibbs. "DiNozzo?"

"Cant make it through in time." He growled, trying to push through the crowd as well.

"I got it." Gibbs growled, tensing himself for a fight.

"The hell you do!" Felix snarled, she shoved a guy twice her size out of the way and had an open path to Gibbs, unfortunately so did the four men. "Fuck." They started walking faster. "Gibbs!"

"What?" He growled, his eyes tracking to the men.

"Just go with it, ok?" Felix said and ran towards him.

"What?" Gibbs growled, staring down the men walking towards him.

Felix ran towards the group and stopped a few feet away from them. She slowly sauntered into their line of sight, distracting them from Gibbs, successfully. The men all stopped and started staring at Felix, no longer focusing on Gibbs.

"Felix what are you doing?" Gibbs growled.

She sauntered all the way over to Gibbs at the bar pushed his legs apart and situated herself between them, "Saving your fucking life." She smiled back. The men came a little closer, more so because of Felix than their interest in Gibbs any longer. "Hey there." She smiled dragging a finger along Gibbs's jaw line. "Wanna buy me a drink?" She leaned into him, her skirt lifting a few inches in the back, giving the gang behind her a good view.

"Too. Young." He growled, "Now get out of here."

She just chuckled and leaned closer, moving her hands up his thighs, "I'm not as young as you think." She winked, "I have plenty of," Her hand moved to his inner thigh, "Experience."

"Felix," DiNozzo said, "They're still behind you. The glare Gibbs is giving them isn't helping."

Felix leaned in, her lips inches from his ear, "Gibbs's if you don't knock off the staring match with the _vatos_ I'm going to do something rash."

"Beat it." He growled, "I can handle my own."

"They're moving in." DiNozzo said urgently.

"Dammit Gibbs!" Felix growled. She grabbed his face and pulled his lips to hers. It took him a few seconds but he warmed up to it. She nipped at his lips and he deepened the kiss. "Gibbs get into it. Put your hand on my ass and pretend you like girls." She mumbled into his mouth.

Gibbs smiled into the kiss, his hands sliding down her bare sides. He gripped her ass and pulled her so close to him that he felt her breasts press into his chest. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he deepened the kiss ferociously, leaving one hand on her ass, pressing her into him and the other snaking slowly up her spine and neck to grip her hair and hold her mouth in place. She moaned quietly and he nipped at her lower lip, wanting to elicit more.

"Ok, they're backing off." DiNozzo said into their ears, but they barely heard it.

Felix decreased the intensity of their kiss, so that it was a slow, smooth interaction as opposed to the aggression that started it. His hand loosened on her lower back and let go of her hair, sliding down to her mid back, holding her close to him, but not as close as before.

"Uh, they're gone." DiNozzo added. A few more beats of silence, "Seriously guys, I'm getting jealous."

Felix pulled back slowly taking Gibbs's hand and kissing his palm. "Eat shit and die, DiNozzo." She growled and took Gibbs's middle finger into her mouth, licking and sucking on it softly.

"Shit..." Gibbs, DiNozzo, and McGee said at the same time. She looked up at Gibbs in her shy way and smiled.

"All of you can die." She chuckled and took Gibbs's hand into hers. "Time to dance old man." She smiled and tugged. Before he could even respond he was up and being dragged onto the dance floor. "If you dance half as good as you kiss, you can take me home tonight." She said louder winking at him as they passed the group of men.

"If I dance 1/3 of how good Gibbs's kisses can I just put the tip in?" DiNozzo asked, almost seriously.

Felix got Gibbs's on the dance floor, "There isn't much else to take in DiNozzo." She heard some sarcastic laughter in her ear. She turned to face Gibbs's who had one of his patronizing grins on his face. "Just relax Gibbs. Sway your hips, step back and forth..."

"And let you do the rest." He smiled, taking her hand and spinning her into him, guiding her arms around his neck and swaying with her to he music.

"ABBS. ISOLATE." DiNozzo said frantically.

"Done and done." Abby smiled.

"Gibbs dances?" DiNozzo asked.

"Uh, I don't think so." Abby responded.

DiNozzo adjusted his position, "CAN YOU SEE THIS?"

"Roger." McGee said.

"Aye." Abby said.

Felix turned in Gibbs's arms, pressing her back to him. He rested his hands on her hips and moved her closer to him, sliding his fingertips along her stomach.

"Abby can you get a good line on them?" Felix smiled feeling Gibbs press his lips to her shoulder.

"Yeah, running their faces through the database right now." Abby smiled into the mic.

"Are they still watching us?" Gibbs asked, his hands splaying on her stomach and pulling Felix into him.

"They've retreated, but yes, still watching." DiNozzo grumbled, "But I think they are just jealous."

Felix and Gibbs laughed, "Quit projecting, DiNozzo." Felix smiled, her hips still moving with the beat.

"Gibbs I didn't know you danced!" Abby said over an isolated frequency. Gibbs just smiled and put his lips to Felix's neck. "Also I thought you preferred red heads?"

"Abby..." Gibbs growled, his mouth of Felix's skin...She smelled like roses and it was intoxicating.

"Oh thats right, the Lieutenant Colonel was a blonde..." Abby muttered.

"Shut it Abbs." He finally said.

"Shutting it sir." She said in her very best DiNozzo impression.

Felix was rolling her body into his and he was surprised by what a good dancer she was. It was easy to move with her without feeling awkward or looking stupid. She really knew how to make a guy look good. Gibbs on the other hand, with his mouth on her neck and his hands caressing the skin of her stomach, was thinking about the last time he'd kissed a woman like that, the last time he danced - a dull fog, and the last time he'd been laid... _Keep it professional Jethro._ He thought to himself. Which was hard to do when a gorgeous woman who was wearing just about nothing was pressing her body up against him.

She turned around again, facing Gibbs this time and did this move where she bent all the way down and slowly moved up his body, dragging her hands behind her. He slipped one leg in between hers and pulled her closer. She was very easy to manipulate when she wanted to be. Without really thinking, Gibbs put his hand to her neck and pulled her in for another kiss.

"I'm not getting a bead on anyone that we should recognize. I think these are all low level gang members." Abby said into the ears of the team.

"Yeah, I'm not getting hits off an any random faces in the crowd either. No Nogales, No Morales, no known associates with a background." McGee said from the van.

"Awe McGee are you having a good time in there?" DiNozzo smiled from his seat a few feet away from this gorgeous blonde. "God do you see the ti-,"

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs growled, surfacing from the kiss. "Focus."

"Yeah, okay." He said in his most sarcastic tone.

"Hey Abby," Gibbs said, "Make sure you edit this video."

"Uh," Abby said nervously, "Uh yeah."

"What if there's important evidence on it boss?" DiNozzo said, watching Felix move her body to the music.

"Write it down." He growled, a little more huskily than before.

"I cant draw that quickly...Her hips move way too fast." DiNozzo said weakly.

"DiNozzo-," Gibbs growled, his hand resting on Felix's lower back.

"Fuck off." Felix laughed.

"Duly noted." DiNozzo smiled, sipping on his drink.

"Still no Morales?" Gibbs asked.

"No." Felix said, into his neck.

"Nope." McGee muttered, "Not even outside on security cameras."

"Negative." DiNozzo replied.

"Shit." Gibbs growled, looking at his watch. It was 1:45 a.m. they'd start to shut the place down soon.

Felix twisted in his arms once more, facing the hostile group of young men, sitting at the VIP bar. They were staring at her intently.

"Anything?" McGee asked.

"Nope," Felix said, as Gibbs adjusted his hands, "Just a group of poorly dressed youths."

DiNozzo smiled, "Awe we can all have your style Spanky."

"DiNozzo is that jealousy's ugly little head rearing itself?" She snarled, feeling like she could do with a fight. Her body was wound with contained sexual energy, the dancing, the kissing, and her veiled feelings for Gibbs, did not help. Just then he lowered his head and bit gently on the most sensitive skin of her neck. "Fuck." She muttered, without thinking, her eyes closed, thats when she felt him smile against her skin.

"WHAT!?" Abby, DiNozzo, and McGee all said at the same time.

"Nothing." Felix said nervously clearing her throat while Gibbs's lips still lingered, "I thought I saw something."

"More like _felt_ something." Abby chuckled over an isolated frequency.

"Shut it Abbs!" Felix almost screeched.

Gibbs leaned forward, his lips going along her jaw line, "What was that?"

"Nothing!" Abby and Felix said frantically.

"Alright guys," Gibbs said, "I think they'll start shutting it down soon. Felix and I," He said, kissing her neck, making her shiver, "Are gonna go to the bar, get a drink and then go home together."

"Fuck," DiNozzo growled, "Why cant the bad guys ever make me?"

Felix chuckled, "Because you blend into the sleazy club atmosphere too well."

"Awe, someone is cranky cause the old guy is getting frisky." DiNozzo said patronizingly.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs said, sternly.

"Sorry boss. I forgot to isolate the frequency." DiNozzo muttered pathetically.

"When do you want us to clear?" McGee asked.

"DiNozzo take off within five minutes. We'll leave about ten minutes after you." Gibbs said, taking Felix's hand and taking her towards the bar. "Meet us back at the squad room. Get food, change, whatever, and we'll debrief and you can all go home."

"Thank you gracious master." DiNozzo bowed to no one.

"No problem." He smiled. He sat down at the bar and pulled Felix close to him. He waved at the bartender who walked over. "Bourbon, two fingers."

"Beer. Cheap." Felix smiled, Gibbs's fingers sliding over her hip to her lower back.

"That's classy." DiNozzo smiled. Felix just put up her pinkie finger.

"And this isn't pinkie-up-classy, this is your-penis-envies-this-finger."

"Ooh, harsh." DiNozzo growled.

"True." McGee chuckled.

"Shut up McGee." DiNozzo snarled. "Alright, I'm taking off."

The drinks came and they started sipping them casually. Gibbs let his hands wander over her back, hips, and stomach, Felix was perfectly fine with feeling his fingertips grazing her skin.

"Want me to stick around boss?" McGee asked.

"At least until we're out of here." Gibbs said, Felix's hand massaging his thigh.

"Got it boss." McGee said.

Gibbs smiled, sipping on his bourbon, "So, you come here often?"

Felix just started laughing, "Jesus Gibbs, you are a piece of work." He just smiled, "Just the one time with Abby, but its been a pretty cool place so far."

"Has she been showing you around?" Gibbs asked, checking his watch.

Felix smiled, "Yes." She chuckled, "I've been having lots of fun with Abby."

Gibbs nodded, "I can tell. She likes you." Felix looked at him, "I know Abby very well."

Felix nodded, taking a sip of her beer, "Yes, I know." He looked at her curiously, but she just smiled. "Are they still watching us Gibbs?" He nodded. Felix moved closer and set down her beer next to his bourbon. Her hand moved slowly up his arm and rested on his jaw. She brushed a fingertip over his lip and moved in, pressing her lips against his softly. She was surprised by the emotion it evoked. She had done this before and felt less with men in her company - hell, some men she'd dated - but with Gibbs, something stirred inside of her and it made her uneasy in a fantastic way. The kiss intensified, his mouth opening to hers in a sultry way - not so urgent anymore - and his hands were gentle on her skin. Her hands moved from his thighs, higher up, and she felt him adjust himself and move his body closer. She thought about placing her hand on his crotch - or rather fantasized about it - but tried to remain professional - which was hard with his hand moving to grip her ass.

He smiled into the kiss, "Just in case their watching."

She smiled back, "A girl could get used to this."

"Don't." He said simply, his grin joking, his tone serious.

She moved her hand from his thigh up to his chest, unbuttoning the top two buttons and slipping her hand in, "What the ol'ticker cant handle it?" She chuckled leaning in and kissing his neck - she loved his smell: sawdust, bourbon, and sweat. Gibbs was about to reply, something witty and cold, but they were interrupted.

"Um, Felix?" McGee said into the ear piece.

"What?" Gibbs growled, not sure if he was annoyed by the intrusion or if it were just a _Gibbs_ thing to do.

"What McGee?" Felix smiled, her fingertips playing on his chest.

"You may want to button up Gibbs's shirt." McGee muttered uncomfortably.

"McGee, don't pull a DiNozzo." Gibbs said, not sure if he meant that he needs to be mature or simply bitching at the kid because he was being a cock block.

"Uh, no, boss..." McGee said, you could practically hear him shifting uncomfortably, "Um, I just have a rather interesting view down Special Agent Rainier's top." He cleared his throat.

"MCGEE!" Abby screeched over the mic.

"SCREEN SHOT! SCREEN SHOT!" DiNozzo yelled over the com.

"I SWEAR I DIDN'T DO IT!" McGee yelled, embarrassed.

Felix could barely contain the laughter that was dying to bubble out, so she slipped her hand out slowly and buttoned Gibbs's shirt back up. "You better delete that section of tape, McGee." She snarled playfully.

"Uh...boss?" He said quietly.

"Its ok McGee," Gibbs said, as if he were trying to protect her virtue, but then he leaned in closer to Felix, smiling, "I've got a live feed here."

Felix pulled back and smacked Gibbs on the arm, "Dick!"

Gibbs just smiled, "Hey you're supposed to pretend that you like me."

Felix rolled her eyes, "I could always just call DiNozzo back." She said sweetly, rubbing Gibbs's arm.

"U-turning now." DiNozzo said urgently.

Felix just chuckled. "DiNozzo," Gibbs said, exasperated, "Piss off."

"Fuck!" DiNozzo spat, "Fine, pissing off, boss."

Gibbs laughed and checked his watch. He looked at Felix and smiled, "Ready to have the night of your life?"

Felix smiled back, "Absolutely." Gibbs stood and took Felix's hand, kissing it gently. He waved for the bill, laid down some money and then put his arm around Felix as they started to walk out. "Will we need to wait for the Viagra to kick in?" She smiled up at Gibbs. There was the sound of stifled laughs turned into coughs.

Gibbs just smiled and squeezed her shoulder tight enough to hurt but not damage anything. She whimpered slightly. "Not tonight sweetheart." He said, pulling her closer and kissing her forehead.

"Ow." She whined as Gibbs led her out of the bar and to his 1970 Challenger. Felix gasped. "OMIGOD, this is such a pussy wagon!" She turned to Gibbs who was just smiling. She laughed, "Shit, sorry. You _do_ know what a pussy wagon is right?" Gibbs rolled his eyes and opened her door, forcefully guiding her in. He walked around and got in and noticed that she was shivering and started rubbing her arms. "Its cold as a bitch." She shook. "Do you have a sweatshirt I can borrow?"

Gibbs nodded and revved up the car, "Somewhere in the back." He goosed the heater removing his com equipment and watched as Felix reached behind her seat and rifled around a bit. She pulled up a pair of shorts, about 100 empty evidence bags, an empty bottle of bourbon, an empty Caff-Pow cup, and what seemed to be a destroyed cell phone. Finally she pulled up a red USMC sweatshirt.

"I had one just like this." She smiled and slipped it on. He watched in his peripheral vision as she fumbled around in the sweatshirt and finally stuck out her arms, holding something in her hand. He looked fully and realized it was her shirt. "It wasn't as comfortable as it seemed." She said lamely, pulling out the com equipment.

He chuckled, "What's more comfortable than being half-naked?"

Felix shrugged, "Fully naked?" She saw Gibbs grin. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not supremely devoted to being feminine. I had to get Abby to check all of my clothes to make sure I wasn't popping out. I don't usually get dressed up."

"And go dancing?" He smiled.

"No." Felix smiled, leaning back into the comfortable bucket seat, "I'd much rather be in my home, dancing around in my underwear." She muttered, suddenly realizing what she said, her hand slapped over her mouth, her eyes going wide with embarrassment. Gibbs smiled faintly. "Sorry, that was a little too much information, sir." She said, slipping back into formality.

"Relax Felix." He smiled, reaching over and patting her bare thigh. There was a moment of silence, permeated by arousal.

"Of course sir." She said, his hand almost burning her thigh. "Sir?"

"Yes Felix?" Gibbs said, looking over at her.

"What's your full name?" She said quietly.

He was quiet for a long time. Felix feared that she may have crossed a line and she bit her lip nervously, trying desperately to keep from ringing her hands. As if rubbing her ass into his hard on was ok, but asking him his name was out of line.

_Yes, but that was a cover, wasn't it Felix?_ She thought..._Wasn't it?_..._Shit_.

She opened her mouth to apologize profusely but once again, he beat her to it.

"Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs." He said, his face set in stone.

_His name is even hot..............SHIT!_

_----------_

After the debrief, Felix held back a little until everyone was gone. She then proceeded to grab some stuff from her bottom drawer and made her way to the building's fantastically up-to-date gym. It had a three lane olympic size pool that Felix had automatically fallen in love with. She had to admit, Virginia NCIS had class.

She entered the gym by scanning her ID. She had grabbed her toiletry bag, her quick dry towel, and her simple-nothing-escapes-speedo bathing suit. She had her real clothes from that day: a pair of khaki cargo pants, a navy sweater and a black stretchy tank top.

She was slightly annoyed at her current situation. Not the fact that she was changing in the open pool arena at approximately 2:30 a.m., but rather her _life_. She was happy with where she was, things were going very well with the team. Tony and her got along great - always shooting random movie references back and forth, going out for drinks, and watching movies of every genre on their time off - they had developed an interesting brother-sister sort of relationship, lots of teasing and mean remarks, but also a lot of trust. Her and McGee enjoyed discussing video games and book titles - she even helped him edit some of his rough drafts for future books - over wine and cigarettes or a pipe for McGee.

However her favorite person so far was Abby. They spent almost all intra and extra work time together as long as Felix wasn't out in the field. Abby was the first girl she had connected with in about fifteen years, since Felix had been surrounded by Marines for the last ten. Her and Abby were two of a similar breed. Sure they were very different in many ways: clothes, attitude, certain music preference, beer, and men. But in the ways they were different they were infinitely the same in their beliefs in love, God, friendship and The Job.

One thing Felix could never feel okay about was Abby's generosity. Not that Abby shouldn't be generous, or that Felix wasn't generous to Abby, but Felix felt like a mooch. She felt _homeless._ Her bottom drawer of her desk contained three extra pairs of underwear, two extra bras, a pair of pants, a few shirts, tampons, toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, work out clothes, shoes, two quick dry towels, extra make up, face wash, deodorant, a non-wrinkle dress, a pair of heels, maybe a small baby...She could live out of her bottom drawer. Happily. Peacefully. However sleeping at the office would be hard...if she slept.

She tossed down her bag, folded her clothes, and hung her towel on a rung. She put in her bluetooth ear piece, clipped the MP3 player to her bathing suit and dove into the water. Despite the price of the purchase of the waterproof duo, it was her favorite item in her purse...Not, however, her favorite thing in her life.

That would be Dexter.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter.

She missed him desperately. Dexter was her sanity. And her sanity was currently residing in West Virginia with her cousin Mary until she found an official place to live. Life without him was unbearable.

She had found Dexter, abandoned, on the roadside in Northern California. He was a small, emaciated black puff ball, left in a wet cardboard box in a gutter. She was surprised by his golden eyes, which were bright and animated all the time. She fell in love automatically. She took him home and nursed him to health with the help of a good friend of hers in San Diego. With two caring mothers, Dexter increased his size by about 6,000%. He was affectionate and gentle despite his humongous size. He was amazing with children, old people, young people, other dogs, cats, smaller furry animals and anything else he hadn't met yet. However, if his mistress was threatened, he turned into Cerberus guarding the Styx. She later learned that he was a wolf hybrid. That was after a bout with the police when her apartment was burgled and the perpetrator ended up in the hospital with a snapped humerus. She had told them he was a husky great dane mix...and they believed it.

Felix didn't care. She loved him. She needed him. She needed to find a place where he could be happy - where they could be happy.

----------

She'd finished her work out, showered to remove the chlorine, and made her way back up to the squad room. She hung her towel and bathing suit on her chair to dry. She tucked her toiletry bag back into her emergency drawer, grabbed her gun and ID and was getting ready to go home. She was tired, dead tired. Ironic, since she was going to go home to sleep in a coffin tonight. She turned off her light and realized that Gibbs's light was still on.

She walked over to his desk and had her finger on the light switch when she saw something on the floor.

It was a wallet.

She looked around trying to sense if Gibbs was around. Even though Gibbs was never seen, smelt, or heard before he suddenly appeared. All was quiet. She circled the desk and picked up the wallet, flipping it open.

It was Gibbs's. She cursed violently.

It was almost 3:30 a.m. She closed her phone and cursed again.

What could possibly be worse?

Leaving his wallet here, when he would somehow know that she found it and didn't give it to him, and then he'd give her angry looks all day. She could call him. It may wake him up. Or what if he was _busy_?

What's worse? Calling Gibbs and waking him from his peaceful sleep? Calling him and interrupting him? Interrupting him with a _woman_? Going over and waking him up? Going over and interrupting him _with a woman_? Her hands started to sweat.

_Shit_, she thought. She should probably just leave it there, it was his business, his fault for leaving it there. She would just make an ass out of herself for being involved in his _business._

...However, if she went over there she could see where he lived. She could see what Gibbs looked like away from work.

Still, its an invasion of privacy.

But...Curiosity won out.

She _wanted_ to see his house, see his bathroom, see his - _gulp -_ bedroom.

"Oh my God Felix, what are you doing?" She said to herself.

But she was already in the elevator, wallet in hand, with his address inputted into the GPS on her phone.


	3. Chapter 3

**-3-**

When she arrived at her destination she was breathing so heavily that she thought she was going to hyperventilate. She desperately wanted a drink or a smoke.

She parked the car, took a good three minutes in order to get out of the damn thing, another forty five seconds to close the car door softly, and a few more minutes to take her first step. Without thinking, she pressed the button to lock her car and it beeped three times breaking the absolute silence. Her heart skipped a beat and she almost screamed.

The walk to his front door felt like a death march. She reached the threshold, lifted her hand to knock on his door and froze.

_What if he's mid stride? OMIGOD, I cant do this! BAIL! BAIL! _She thought, turning to walk away when the front door opened. _Shit_.

She contemplated jumping into the shrubbery in the front lawn. She also contemplated trying to run away. Could she get to her car in time?

"Felix?" Gibbs said, sounding appalled, but not tired. Maybe a creepy lurker skulking around your front yard woke you up real fast...

"Shit!" She whispered again, her back still to him. "I'm sorry sir, this is so inappropriate." She hit herself on the back of her head.

"Felix, what are you doing?" He asked more urgently. "Will you turn around dammit?"

"Yes sir." It almost came out as a whimper, but she didn't turn around immediately. It took her about 95 seconds. She turned on her heel and walked up to his front door, staying a minimum of two feet away from him. She held out his wallet with only two fingers, treating it like it was contaminated. "I found this, sir. It was by your desk." She saw the questioning look on his face and her eyes widened, "I wasn't snooping, I swear!" She said nervously, "I was leaving, your light was on, I went to turn it off, and it was lying on the floor." She was speaking rapidly, her heart pounding in her chest. Her motor speech paths couldn't keep up with what her brain was trying to formulate. "I should have called, but I thought you might be in bed, asleep...or _busy_." Her eyes widened further, "SHIT!" She screeched, "Take it, please." She shook it at him, "So I can leave now and ask for a transfer first thing tomorrow."

Gibbs took the wallet slowly, his face blank, hers a mask of horror. Once his fingers completely grasped the wallet, Felix let go of it and tried to run.

"Felix!" Gibbs yelled, still on his porch.

She was frozen, only two steps away from his porch. "Yes sir?" She whimpered.

"Turn around." He said coldly.

Felix was internally cursing herself, "Yes sir." She said quietly taking another forty five seconds.

"Come here." He growled. She took her steps carefully and stood about a foot from him. He stared at her, but her head was down, looking pitiful. "Get in here." He growled, grabbing the front of her sweatshirt and yanking her inside.

"Boss," She whimpered as he dragged her through his house, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude." He wouldn't say anything, he just kept dragging her through the front room, through the hallway, into the kitchen. _Oh my god, he's going to cut me up into little bits._ There was a door in the kitchen that he tugged her to, which had a padlock on it. "OMIGOD, sir are you going to kill me?" She whimpered.

Gibbs kept a hold of her shirt and pulled her face to his, a look of stone cold death in his eyes. Felix was holding onto his hand for dear life, which was gripping her shirt. She was strong, but a cold fear gripped her gut, and he was tossing her around like a rag doll.

"I think I have whiplash." She whispered.

Gibbs broke out into a smile, "You good with your hands?"

Felix's throat went dry and her body felt like curling in on itself, "S-scuse me?"

Gibbs let go of her shirt, opened the door, and went inside the dim, musty room. Felix took a deep breath and peaked into the doorway, seeing old rickety stairs leading down. She didn't want to step in. She feared she'd be swallowed whole. Perhaps made into a lamp.

"Rainier!" Gibbs shouted from the dimness. Felix jumped about two feet off the ground. "Are you coming or what?" She looked towards the backdoor, her only escape, and then down into the dungeon which was lorded over by Gibbs.

But it was _Homminus Gibbus_ in his natural habitat...

...Definitely worth being a lamp.

She made her way down the old stairs and found herself in a huge basement. It smelled like sawdust, bourbon, and sweat, which tickled her senses. She found Gibbs in the center of the room hand sanding a large wooden ribcage.

"Its a boat hull!" Felix said excitedly. Gibbs stopped sanding and looked up at her, a look of wonder in his eyes. "Hello?" She walked up to it, running her hand gently along the grain, "I grew up in an all male household. I was a marine. My father was a marine. My -," She stopped. He looked at her curiously, but she just did the shy smile. When she looked up, she was more animated, "All by hand?" He nodded his head. "An ocean rider?" Another nod. "A name?" He shook his head. "Am I talking too much?" He just looked at her, grinning in his sly way.

They were silent for a few moments while he worked, "C-can I help?" Why did she feel like such a child around him? She was nervous, when he stopped his work, she feared she'd crossed another line.

He nodded, "Grab the other sander over there on the work table. Use it on the opposite side, make it smooth."

Felix nodded, "Yea boss." She said, walking to the table and grabbing the sander. It was warm in the dungeon, so she stripped off her sweatshirt, rolled up her pants, and tied them in place. Her tank top was skin tight, meant for wearing underneath other shirts or to bed, but she wasn't planning on this, so it was just the skin tight tank top and no bra. Regrettable, but unavoidable.

"Felix?" Gibbs said. She was already sanding away but she looked up at him.

"Yes boss?" She smiled.

"This is my home." He smiled, nodding. "Call me Jethro."

Felix smiled, "Sure Jethro."

They sanded for a while on either side of the hull. The sound of the sandpaper against the wood guided them into a rhythm, lulling them into relaxation. Before he realized it, they had half of the hull done. The work relaxed her, just as it did for him.

He stood up straight, stretching his back. He looked up and saw Felix, sanding away at one of the ribs. He smiled as he watched her work, her hands moving over the wood, her muscles moving smoothly beneath her beautifully pale skin. The aforementioned skin was bathed in a thin layer of sweat, her short black hair matted to her face and neck. She was concentrating hard, biting the inside of her lower lip. She finally glanced up at him, doing her shy smile, which made Gibbs's senses buzz.

She stood up straight as well, reaching her hands far above her head and arching her back towards him. Her breasts were perky and round, a perfect palm-size, and her tank top, which was already tight, was now tighter, wet with sweat. She relaxed into a normal position and smiled at Gibbs, unhindered. She was completely relaxed, something he'd never seen before. He walked over to her side and inspected her work, running his thumb over the wood. He smiled.

"Nice work." He said.

"Thank you." She smiled back, wiping her bangs out of her face.

He walked closer to her, placing his hand above her shoulder, where she was leaning on one of the ribs. "Ready for a break?" She nodded. "Do you drink bourbon?" He asked, walking towards his work table.

"Does it have alcohol in it?" She smiled, following him. He dumped out two juice glasses full of screws and poured two large glasses of bourbon, handing one to Felix. "Thanks."

He went to grab his glass and when he turned around Felix was gone. He looked further and found her sitting in the center of his hull, or rather, lying there, with the juice glass in hand, staring up through the beams at the ceiling.

"What are you doing Felix?" Gibbs asked, he couldn't help the smile as he went back to the ribs and leaned against one.

Felix was still smiling as she laid in the center of the hull, breathing heavily, but comfortably. "I'm lying down."

"Obviously." He chuckled. "But why?"

She sighed, leaned up and took a large sip of her bourbon, "I feel like I'm in the belly of a beast." She smiled, "Like Pinocchio inside Monstro." He crawled inside with her and sat down, his leg pressed up against her side.

"You are so odd." He muttered.

Felix just smiled, "It helps me put a grip on reality."

"How so?" Gibbs asked, sipping his bourbon.

"Well," Felix said, taking another large gulp, "It puts me in a perspective that I understand. Being small. Being controlled. Being..."

"Eaten alive?" Gibbs asked, sipping the bourbon again.

Felix nodded, "More than once." Gibbs nodded, as if he understood. Felix sat up sharply, looking up at Gibbs. She took a swig of bourbon again, "This tastes like shit."

Gibbs laughed, "Its supposed to taste like shit." He smiled, "If it tastes good it wont get you drunk."

Felix smiled back, taking another large sip, "Depends on how much you drink of it."

"True." He nodded. "Cheers." He extended his glass and she clinked hers against it. "Tell me about Special Ops."

Felix scrunched her face in distaste, "I'm not supposed to." She took a sip of the bourbon and it straightened out her face, "Bad places, hunting worse people." Gibbs nodded.

"Dark things for your mind to wrap around."

Felix sighed, "My mind has no problems wrapping around dark things. It knows dark things best. Its the light things that cause confusion."

"Light things?" Gibbs asked.

"Love. Fun. Happiness." She smiled.

"You've never had any of those things?" Gibbs asked.

Felix sighed, "Only in small doses."

"Like what?"

She shrugged, "Love? Dexter. Fun? Abby. Happiness? Work..." She smiled, "Friends. What about you?"

"Fun?" He gestured to the boat. "Happiness," He shrugged. "Love..." He said, almost longingly. "I haven't found the other two just yet."

She looked up at him, "Yes you did." She touched his hand, gently, "But you lost it." She saw his jaw tighten but she squeezed his hand, "Its okay. I understand." She said softly. "I'm not prying. Just stating a fact."

He looked at her, his eyes cold, his jaw locked shut. "I-,"

She put a hand up, "Shut up," She said jokingly, "I know that look. I see it in the mirror all the time. Misery loves company." She raised her glass.

"And booze." He clinked it. "What have you lost?"

She looked up at him, "I'm not that drunk." She held up her empty glass. Gibbs chuckled, grabbing her glass and taking it with him to fill up his own. "Fuck I'm really dirty."

Gibbs was at the table, filling up their glasses. "Isn't that the fun part?"

She sighed heavily, smiling, "Yes, it is." She stood up and walked over to him, "You've got me talking about emotions now. I need shots." He smiled at her.

"You shouldn't shoot this stuff." Gibbs gestured towards the bottle. "It's dangerous."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh big deal," She said sarcastically, "140 proof? I drink Bacardi 151 on a nightly basis." He lifted an eyebrow. She just laughed, "More of my darkness."

He nodded, "Explain. Drinking away your sorrows is something I understand."

"I take a shot for every man I've lost." She sighed. "Every time I drink."

"How many is that?" Gibbs asked. Felix looked at him, hesitantly. "All right. We'll wait for that." He poured her another large drink.

"I need a cigarette." She smiled, grabbing the drink.

"You smoke?"

Felix smiled, "Not in front of most people and usually only when I drink."

"So, in front of Abby, McGee, DiNozzo." It was a statement.

She shrugged, "You never asked me out for a drink."

He stepped closer to her, "Until tonight."

She flipped open her cell phone, "This morning." She corrected.

Gibbs smiled, "This morning." She looked up at him, her large eyes shining in the dim light. "So what have you been trained in?"

Felix smiled, "Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers?"

"Because a file is easy to read. People are harder. There are a lot of blanks to fill in." He looked at her, watching her features.

"Which blanks?" She said, downing her drink when Gibbs still had half a cup to go. He nodded to her cup, grabbed it out of her hand and refilled it, giving himself twice as much more. "Hey, what's with that?"

"What?" Gibbs smiled.

"The booze." She glared.

"Cant let a small girl like you out drink me." He smiled. Felix just laughed.

"What blanks?" She smiled, "Old man?"

He chuckled, "Well now I have two: where did you learn how to dance and where did you learn how to drink?"

She smiled, "Learned how to drink at my dad's knee. A good old fashioned Irishman with a drinking problem - not abusive or anything, just the unflinching ability to finish a bottle of Buschmills without being phased. He was a great man, loved his children. Also I was a Marine for the past ten years what Marine _doesn't _drink? Learned how to dance because when my dad found me cleaning his gun when I was seven years old he decided I need some feminine lessons. I took jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop, salsa...anything I could get my hands on. All of this," She sorta picked at her clothing, gestured towards her body, "This shell is just a barrier for what's inside of me. I wanted to be a different person, but it just so happens I'm really good at killing people...and not feeling a thing."

He sipped his bourbon, "You never feel a thing?"

She shook her head. "I did once upon a time. You know the training. And I was trained by the best. I took karate, defense training, kick boxing, whatever it is, I've trained in it. My father was just as adamant about that as he was dancing. He knew I'd be small, he didn't want me to be taken advantage of."

"That's a noble wish for your only daughter." He said solemnly.

"Yes, it is." Felix nodded. "Gunnery Sergeant?"

"Marine Sniper." He smiled, "But you already knew that."

She nodded again, sipping her drink, "I have many good contacts. I had to know if the people I would be working with could be trusted."

"And?" Gibbs asked.

"And thats why I'm here today." She smiled, the bourbon starting to warm her limbs. "I interviewed. Did some research and accepted immediately. I heard great things about your team, about you, and I wanted in."

"You _are_ odd." He smiled.

"How so?"

"You come in here, cuss me out before you even start your first day, end up charming the pants off of my team, my lab tech, my M.E..." He sipped his bourbon.

"...But?" She said, looking at him intently.

"But?" He asked, confused.

"It sounded like a 'but' statement. All these things are so great, buuuuut..." She smiled.

"No 'but.' I was just going to say, and me." He said seriously.

"Well, I am equally charmed." She smiled, "I love it here." She started walking towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

She grabbed her sweatshirt, "Going outside for a smoke."

"Go out back." He said, standing up and following her out.

He found her outside, smoking and sipping the bourbon, staring up at the sky. "Stars are my favorite, the sky really: clouds, rain, rainbows, stars." She sighed, looking over at Gibbs who was leaning against the wall next to her watching her. "I know its a disgusting habit, but it clears my mind for a few moments." They stood in silence for a few moments, the only real sound was the burning paper on her cigarette.

"We all have our vices." He finally said, smiled and went back inside.

"Yes, we do." She chuckled and stomped out her cigarette.

Felix walked back inside but Gibbs was not in the kitchen so she went back into the basement and found him at his work bench, fooling around with one of his tools.

"Tired, old man?" She chuckled, leaning on the rib cage.

"You know I'm getting a little sick of the 'old man' comments." He growled, standing up and moving towards her.

"Oh," She rolled her eyes, "What'cha gonna do grandpa? Hit me with your walker?" She said sarcastically. Before she could let out the chuckle, Gibbs shot out, grabbed her and pinned her to the floor of his workshop. She yelped once but she was already on the ground with Gibbs straddling her.

"I must be drunk." She chuckled, "You move pretty fast for an old guy. You get your hips replaced?" She smiled, rolling her hips slightly into his, his weight pressing comfortably into her body. He was holding her hands above her head with one of his. She was chuckling softly, he was grinning, as his hand slid down her arm, gently brushing the side of her breast, making her take a slow inhale.

His lips were mere centimeters away from hers, and she could smell the bourbon on his breath and the sweat that evaporated from his skin. All she had to do was lift her head less than an inch and she could kiss him again. But _this_ was not an operation. This was on the floor of his basement after half a bottle of bourbon. This was feeling his muscular body pressing down on hers in the most pleasing way, his hand dragging down her body, stopping on her ribs.

"Wait!" She said, finally realizing what his fingers were doing. "No! Stop!" She squealed.

"Sorry honey, this old man's ears don't work too well." He smiled and dug his fingertips into her ribcage causing her to writhe underneath him, laughing hysterically, begging him to stop. "What's that?" He feigned deafness, "I cant hear you." He chuckled, continuing to tickle her.

"No!" She pleaded, laughing. "Ah!" She lifted her legs up, and jabbed her knees into his sides. She felt the air whoosh our of him and used the moment to throw him off balance, rolling him onto his back and she rolled on top of him. She pressed her knees down, pinning his elbows to the ground, her toes pressing into his femoral artery, her hands pinning down his wrists.

"Impressive move." He smiled and tried shifting her weight, but it was perfectly distributed. "You better get off of me before someone gets hurt."

She smiled wickedly, "Why Gibbs, are you being a bigot?" She dug her toe into the artery causing minimal discomfort, but making his legs relatively useless. He grimaced and chuckled. "Bring it on." She growled.

"You got it." He said.

What ensued after that was about thirty minutes of the most rigorous physical combat session either of them had engaged in quite some time. There was plenty of rolling around, soft jabs, squeezing hands in odd places, hair pulling, mounting and pinning, and ripping clothes.

Felix rolled onto her back, her chest heaving, a satisfied smile on her face.

Gibbs plopped face down next to her, breathing just as heavily, with a similar smile.

"Jesus." She smiled laying on her back and stretching her throbbing limbs. She reached for her cell phone, which had flown out of her pocket, and checked the time. "Shit. I need to call Abby." Felix yawned.

Gibbs rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow and looking down at her. "Why Abby?" He asked.

Felix looked up at him and her eyes widened and she sat up, "Jesus sir!" She said, her hands going to his face, his lip was puffy. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Are you all right?"

He just smiled, sitting up gingerly, brushing the back of his fingers against her lightly bruised cheek, "I'm fine. Invigorated. Are you all right?" She nodded. "You're pretty bruised up."

She looked down and saw hand-sized impressions on her upper arms and little abrasions littering the rest. She realized her shirt was torn halfway up her side and she had lost one shoe. Her pants were also broken, at some point the button had popped off and was mysteriously rolling around Gibbs's boat room. She laughed at herself and looked up at him.

He was smiling wide with a bruise on his lip. He had scratches on his arms, stomach, and chest, as well as small scrapes littering any open skin. The entire front of his shirt was torn in half and his hair was tousled.

"You're trying to change the subject." He smiled, "Why do you need to call Abby?"

She sighed, blowing the hair out of her face and lying back down on Gibbs's floor. He laid down next to her, up on his elbow, looking down at her. She had her eyes closed and she was faintly smiling, looking very peaceful. Her breathing returned to normal. He had a desire to lay his hand on her chest to feel her heart beat and her breathing rate.

Gibbs cleared his throat forcefully and Felix just smiled, "Right. Abby." She sighed, "I'm staying with her until I find a place."

"I thought you said you had an apartment." Gibbs stated. Felix's eyes were fluttering shut again, she rolled onto her side to face Gibbs, placing one arm underneath her head.

"I lied." She yawned and then smiled, her eyes still closed.

"Don't lie to your team." Gibbs said, "You could have told us." He saw the smile on her face lessen for just a moment, "You don't need to feel embarrassed around us."

She sighed, "I'm not. Not around everyone." She said sleepily. "Abby knows, just no one else knows. I don't want people to know I sleep in a coffin and live out of my trunk and the bottom drawer of my desk."

"Why?" He asked, brushing some of her stray black hair out of her face.

"Pity." She yawned. "I don't want pity. I hate pity."

"I can understand that." He said, gently touching her lips. She was so beautiful.

"Who pities you?" She said slowly.

"People try." He said softly.

"But you don't let them?" She said, sounding faintly interested.

"No." He said simply. "I don't let them."

"Why?" She yawned again.

"Because I don't want it either." He said softly, his thumb brushing against her cheek. She sighed and leaned into his touch. "Where's your dog then?"

"Dexter is in West Virginia with my cousin Mary." Felix said, her smile faded, "I miss him." She said sadly. "But basically," Another big yawn, "I cant have him back until I find a place that will accept a dog over one hundred pounds and about three feet tall." Gibbs just chuckled and laid down on his side, using his arm as a pillow.

He stared at Felix with uncertainty. There was something different about her, something different from all of the woman he'd been with. Even Shannon, but being with her was in a separate era in his life. He couldn't compare anyone to his life with Shannon because he was a different person then. But Felix was an entirely different experience all together. She was mature, smart, seasoned, funny, and caring.

The attraction between them was obvious, but it was innocent. Most of the women he had been with he'd respected at one point or another. They all tried to be tough on the outside, but the first instance of something going wrong they start crying and throwing things and being so _female_. They were good for some things, but as of lately, companionship was not one of them.

Felix, however, was tough. He respected her. He might even venture enough to say that he could fear her in the right situation. But she wouldn't let emotions get in the way like most females do. That must have been because of life in the Marine Corps, with a Marine daddy and...That was another thing they needed to talk about.

Felix stirred, her internal clock was telling her to wake up, but she was very warm and comfortable. She felt lips kissing her neck and snuggled into the warmth behind her, she felt the arms around her roll her over. They were kissing now, their hands groping all over each other, her finger tips grazing the searing skin. Hands slid up her shirt and she felt fingertips graze her nipple. She moaned and thats when she realized she wasn't dreaming.

She gasped, opening her eyes and coming face to face with Gibbs. His eyes opened and it was obvious he was groggy. She, however, was completely awake, her body reacting naturally to a man's lips on her neck and a hand up her shirt.

Gibbs stopped, wiping his eyes and looking at Nora. "Ugh, coffee." He simply said, sitting up, groaning. He stood up quickly, leaving Felix on the floor confused and disoriented. "You want coffee Felix?" He asked, making his way up the stairs.

She sat up, finally feeling the bruises and aches from the night before. She followed Gibbs up to the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter, the coffee was already brewing. His lip was bruising nicely, his shirt was on the floor in a heap. He had one of those working man's bodies. It was all lean muscles and worn skin, tanned, and tough, covered with a few scars. He wasn't like the young men she'd been with before who spent hours just lifting weights and drinking protein shakes. He earned his muscles the good old fashioned way.

"Morning." She said, nervously, wringing her hands.

"Morning Felix." He said looking up at her and sighing, "Don't make this worse than it has to be." He was afraid his initial perception of her was incorrect. This is when the throwing starts and he knew she had really good aim.

Felix just laughed, "Sir, we didn't sleep together." She smiled, "I remember last night completely. I think it was the shock of waking up with my boss's tongue down my throat and his hand up my shirt that did it."

Gibbs laughed as well, "You want to shower?"

Felix shook her head, "I think I'll steal some of your coffee and then head to the gym at work. I can shower there."

He nodded and grabbed two coffee mugs from his cabinets. "Felix..." He started.

"Gibbs," She said, putting up her hand, "Don't make this weirder than it has to be." She smiled. He turned and looked at her, he was obviously conflicted.

"I have rules." He said pouring out the cups of coffee.

She rolled her eyes, "So do I Gibbs. Nothing. Happened." She chuckled, "I can see you may have to do this often."

He got defensive, "I _never_ mess arou-,"

"I didn't mean you were a NCIS man whore, I was implying that you are usually the one to break things off." Felix walked up to him and put a hand on his bare chest, "Jethro, we're adults. You're a man, I'm a woman, we're attracted to each other. Nothing happened. And I'm not like other women. Your shit is yours to deal with. Mine is mine." She stepped closer and kissed him on the cheek, "I trust you. I like you. You're a great leader and I need that in my life." She held his shoulders, "So breathe. Relax. I'm not here to start drama."

Gibbs smiled and kissed her cheek, "That may have been the single most sexiest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Felix just laughed and grabbed her cup of coffee, "You know what would be even sexier?" She said, sipping the coffee, grimacing, "If you had cream and sugar for this shit. Ugh, its awful."

Gibbs smiled, going into his fridge and pulling out milk. He reached into another cabinet and grabbed a canister of sugar, handing them off to Felix. She nodded and fixed up her coffee.

"I have a great brew you'd love. Its like high octane jet fuel." She smiled, sipping her coffee.

"I'm interested." He smiled.

"Its a Vietnamese coffee. One of my childhood friend's grandma used to make it all the time. We drank it in high school together." Felix smiled, swirling her coffee cup.

"What happened to her?" Gibbs asked.

"She died." Felix said soberly. "Our Junior year in high school. Car accident."

"I'm sorry." Gibbs said.

She smiled weakly, "You didn't kill her." Felix smiled, "Don't apologize."

Gibbs walked up to her and hugged her with one arm. He kissed her forehead gently, "I'll see you at work. I need to shower. Don't want to be late."

"See you Gibbs." She smiled and left his house. When she got into her car her hands were shaking. It was easy for her to stave off the nerves for long periods of time, however, once she let her guard down, her adrenaline would pump and her body would go into overdrive. She didn't want to think of her feelings for Gibbs or the fact that she enjoyed her time with him far too much. She was attracted to him, just like she knew he was attracted to her. She felt very drawn to him in an intimate way, not just sexually, and it scared her. She was afraid of the concept of hero worship. She was afraid of seeming like a little girl with a crush. She just took deep breaths, put on her sweatshirt, and started her car.

When she got to work, she grabbed her swim suit, towel and shower stuff and got ready to go to the gym. Thats when she remembered Abby.

"Shit!" Felix screeched and then ran to the stairway, taking two at a time to get down to her lab. "Abby!" Felix said tearing around the corner, finding Abby in her lab.

Abby looked totally pissed off. "What the _hell_ were you thinking?"

"Jesus Abby, I'm so fucking sorry, you have no idea!" Felix said, dropping her bathing suit and other crap and running up to Abby. Abby turned sharply but Felix wrapped her arms around her shoulders anyway, squeezing her tightly. "Abby, I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. You can dress me like gothic Barbie, we can go get new tattoos and I'll let you choose one," She said desperately.

Abby chuckled squeezing Felix's arms, "I was just worried. But now that you mention all of that," Abby took a big inhale and then froze. She spun in Felix's arms until they were face to face, only a few inches from each other. "You smell different." She glared at Felix.

Felix chuckled, "I didn't get to shower this morning. I was just heading to the gym when I realized I needed to apologize to you."

"Where did you stay?" Abby said, smelling her still.

"Abby!" Felix laughed, batting her off, "I fell asleep in my car, I was waiting for a meet for some information but the guy didn't show up."

Abby looked at her suspiciously, "You don't smell like car..." Abby took another big inhale. "I know the smell. I just cant place it."

Felix was starting to sweat a little, she smelled _exactly_ like Gibbs did: Bourbon, sweat, and sawdust. She was praying Abby's sensory memory wouldn't be working today. "I gotta go work out and get showered before Gibbs shows up."

Abby glared at her, "Ok. But I _will_ find out what you are hiding from me."

Felix smiled, "I'm sure you will. That's what you're paid to do." Abby laughed and Felix ran off to the gym.

----------

"What do you have for me Abbs?" Gibbs said, carrying the Holy Caff-Pow as he made his was into the lab.

"Oh good morning Gibbs," Abby smiled turning and seeing his bruised lip, "Oh my god, your face!?"

"I'm fine Abby. Boating issues last night." Gibbs smiled.

"Does it hurt?" Abby said, grimacing. "Why are you still smiling if you had an accident?"

Gibbs smiled, "I had a good morning. You?"

"Gibbs you sly dog, why are you smiling like _that_?" Abby said, curious.

"I said I had a good morning." He smiled.

"Caff-Pow?" She held her hand out a little desperately.

"What do you got for me?" He smiled, holding it back and shaking it.

Her shoulders slumped, "Ok, fine." She sighed. Then she perked up automatically and pranced over to her computer and starting typing, "Well the most interesting discovery I've had today was during the investigation of the money you guys found in the abandoned house. I checked out the money and for one thing," She looked back at Gibbs, "It's real. Secondly, the first stack of bills had traces of DNA recoverable from the surface."

"DNA on money?" Gibbs said.

"Yes. Specifically, saliva." Abby smiled. "Morales licked the bills when he counted them! We have his DNA tying him to the drug money."

"Is it conclusive?" Gibbs asked.

"Well do you consider conclusive to be, say, Morales's DNA on one hundred bills from each stack?" She smiled wide. Gibbs held out her Caff-Pow and she snatched it, taking a deep sip from it. "Thank you!" She set it down and threw her arms around him, inhaling deeply. Her eyes shot open, she gasped and held Gibbs at arms length, staring at him.

"What?" Gibbs laughed.

"Why are you so happy?" Abby said, very suspicious.

"I told you," Gibbs smiled and kissed her cheek, "I had a good morning." And he was gone to go get a warrant for Morales's arrest.

"Omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod..." Abby said running for her phone. She clicked on Felix's number and sent an urgent text: _Come here NOW._

----------

Felix had just finished her work out, shower, and blow drying session and was heading back up to the squad room. She had on a simple pair of black cargos and a t shirt that had 3/4 length sleeves to hide all of her bruises. She put on some make up to cover up her reddish cheek bone, but otherwise the rest of the bruises and cuts were hidden.

She'd taken a little bit longer than she thought and was trying to rush. She'd gotten up to the squad room floor and when the elevator door dinged open she shot out through them and directly into Gibbs, knocking both of them down, Felix on top, her hands pressed against his chest and her legs on either side of him.

"Shit boss I'm so sorry!" She said, sitting up, distraughtly grabbing at the papers that he dropped and grabbing her purse.

"Felix?" Gibbs said. She was still frantically apologizing, grabbing at the papers, "Felix!" He growled.

Felix looked down at him, confused. His eyes were tracking around them and Felix followed his line of vision and saw that everyone was peaking above their cubicles, watching them. Except of course for Tony and McGee who were standing about three feet away, smiling foolishly.

"Fuck." She growled and climbed off of Gibbs and stood up. He jumped up quickly smiling the entire time.

"Your morning just keeps getting better and better." DiNozzo smiled and Felix shot him a scathing look.

"Grab your gear Felix, we're on our way out." Gibbs said, "Hurry." He motioned towards her desk. Felix sprinted, grabbed her gear and ran back into the elevator skidding into Gibbs and DiNozzo.

"Sorry." Felix muttered, "I'm off my game..."

Gibbs turned to her, his glare stone cold, "Get on your game. We're going after Morales and I cant take any screw ups."

"Yes boss." She said coldly and punched the button for the garage.

She rode with DiNozzo on this one, "You okay?" He said once they were in the car.

Felix shook herself, "Yes, I'm fine. I had my routine thrown off this morning. I'm a little off."

"Can you handle this?" He said, seriously.

She looked at DiNozzo and smiled at him, he smiled back, "I'm okay Tony. I promise. Just trying to get my bearings back. If I wasn't okay I would not risk the lives of my team on it. I don't have that much pride."

He smiled, "Absolutely."

They drove in silence for the rest of the way. Felix slid on her bullet proof vest and NCIS jacket. She clipped her gun to her belt and slid on a hat. She spent the rest of her time preparing herself for the task at hand, mentally and physically. She was alert, awake, but her mind was preoccupied. She shook thoughts of a shirtless Gibbs away and focused on the task at hand. She needed a steady hand, a sharp eye, and keen reflexes. She would not allow the people she trusted, her friends, to be put in harms way because of her inability to focus.

Morales.

Focus.

She sighed as they pulled up to Morales's house. They parked the cars and got out, all them adjusting their ear pieces and mics to make sure they could communicate effectively.

"DiNozzo, Felix, through the back. McGee and I have the front." Gibbs said. Felix and Tony drew their guns and ran around to the back entrance of the small house. They checked the back yard quickly, ensuring there were no lurkers in the bushes. They got to the back door.

She nodded to Tony and he nodded back, "In position boss." Felix whispered.

"NCIS FEDERAL AGENTS! OPEN UP MORALES!" Gibbs yelled pounding on the door. When there was no answer, Felix heard the door splinter as it was kicked in and her and Tony entered through the back, sweeping the house and clearing the rooms.

The front room was littered with dime bags of cocaine as well as a few more piles of money. It wasn't the bust they were hoping for, especially since their suspect was not at home. "Get the kits. Bag it and Tag it." Gibbs growled ripping out his ear piece along with everyone else.

"On it." Felix said with Tony and McGee following her.

Gibbs pulled on some gloves and started snooping around the front room, looking for any easy access hiding places where a larger stash may be concealed. Unfortunately it was only about one brick of product in his front room. That could be pleaded down to a misdemeanor. Gibbs wanted this guy's head.

He heard the loud footsteps behind him, "God dammit Tony, you walk like a fucking buffalo - ," He turned and came face to face with a gun barrel. "Petty Officer Morales."

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" He rasped. He was bathed in sweat and his eyes were red rimmed. He did _not_ look good. This must have been one of the older houses with open attics. He must have climbed up there and hid while they searched the house. No one would have thought to check the attic, not even Gibbs.

"I'm Special Agent Gibbs. I'm with NCIS." He said slowly.

"Put your hands up. Put your fucking hands _up_!" He raised his voice slightly.

"Morales, put the gun down." Gibbs said calmly raising his arms.

"Shut up!" Morales snarled.

"Okay, okay." Gibbs said and remained quiet. Morales opened his mouth to say something, when he heard DiNozzo and McGee bantering. He heard Felix closer. Morales moved to the side of the hallway entrance into the den. He held out his pistol, waiting for someone to walk into his line of fire. He looked at Gibbs and with a shaky finger made the "shush" sign on his lips.

Thats when he saw Felix walk in, smiling wide. "Hey boss, get any good id -," She was silenced by a gun butt to her head.

"FELIX!" Gibbs shouted, making a movement towards Morales, but the man put the gun muzzle to her. His hand was shaking so Gibbs froze. Usually its the nervous ones that are the worst. They cant stop shaking and BANG! one involuntary reflex later and someone has a hole in their gut.

Felix had crumpled into Morales's arms. He was holding her up by her hair, her legs barely supporting her. Her eyes were fluttering and it seemed like she wasn't coherent, she wasn't even trying to fight back - and that wasn't Felix.

"Felix!" Gibbs said again. "Stay with me."

Felix heard Gibbs yell, but it sounded like he was miles away. She caught glimpses of his face through the blood dripping into her eyes, but all she could see was fear and anger. Gibbs never got scared. She figured she must be dreaming.

"Shut up!" Morales rasped. "Just shut up!"

"Morales, you need to let her go." Gibbs said, his voice ice cold.

"No, she's my hostage." He said shakily, "I need to get out of here." He pointed the gun at Gibbs, which helped him relax. He didn't want that psycho pointing a gun at Felix. "I-I-I want a car. And a jet to Mexico. I need to get the fuck _out_ of here!" He said frantically. Gibbs saw Felix's eyes rolling in her head with blood streaming down the side of her face.

"Ok, we can get you that, just let her go." Gibbs said evenly.

"NO!" Morales yelled, "NO! I WONT LET HER GO UNTIL I GET THE MONEY." He was being incoherent.

"All right Morales, okay." Gibbs said.

"So I told her-," Tony was saying to McGee as they walked through the hallway. They saw Gibbs first and then turned on Morales dropping the gear loudly and pointing their guns.

"Put it down!" Tony yelled.

"Drop the gun!" McGee chimed in.

"Put the gun down or I kill this bitch!" Morales yelled, putting the muzzle to her temple and digging it into her wound. They heard Felix whimper softly.

"Morales, put the gun down." Tony said coldly.

"Fuck you!" Morales yelled and extended his arm, aiming for Tony. McGee had a good enough shot to take, but he was afraid of hitting Felix who was slumped against Morales's body. He took aim and went to squeeze the trigger.

Morales went to squeeze the trigger and thats when Gibbs moved. He shot out, impossibly fast and knocked the gun away from Morales. Tony kicked it away and then went to help Gibbs who punched Morales in the throat.

He instantly dropped Felix, putting his hands to his throat and Felix went down fast. DiNozzo dove and grabbed her, laying her on the ground and checking her vitals.

"Boss, she's okay!" Tony yelled, smiling. "McGee call the ambulance." He looked up and McGee was frozen in shock. "MCGEE!" Tony yelled.

He followed McGee's line of vision and saw Gibbs laying into Morales. Morales was on his back, his face a mask of blood and gore, which Gibbs pounded into, punch after punch. Despite the fact that Morales was not putting up a fight, let alone even moving, Gibbs was not letting up. The man was perfectly composed as he repeatedly laid his fists into the mush that was now Morales's face.

"McGee! Get Gibbs!" Tony yelled, applying pressure to Felix's head wound. McGee looked stunned as he watched Gibbs wreak havoc. "MCGEE GET FELIX!" Tony yelled. Finally McGee snapped out of it and knelt down to watch Felix and call an ambulance.

Once Felix was being watched, DiNozzo leapt on Gibbs, tackling him painfully into a side table. DiNozzo wrapped his arms around the struggling Gibbs, shouting in his ear that Felix was okay.

"Gibbs?" Felix whispered, the sounds and blurry sights vague and disorienting.

"He's here Felix. Stay with me." McGee said, holding his shirt to her head which was bleeding profusely. "We're here. You're okay." He whispered and looked over at the other scene. DiNozzo had Gibbs in a body lock. Gibbs was stiff with rage even though his face was perfectly cold. DiNozzo was whispering something into his ear which seemed to be helping, but only minimally. McGee felt the bile rise in his throat when he saw what Gibbs had done to Morales.

The EMTs finally arrived with McGee calling them in. They got Felix stabilized and took her to the emergency room to run some tests and make sure her brain wasn't damaged by the blow.

They tried to dress Gibbs's wounds but he was adamant about traveling with Felix to the hospital. McGee and Tony nodded towards what used to be Morales and advised the EMTs to not get in Gibbs's way.

Gibbs ended up in the back of the ambulance, holding Felix's hand while people attempted to clean them both up.


	4. Chapter 4

**-4-**

Felix awoke with a strange feeling of disorientation. It didn't smell like incense or the workplace so she knew she wasn't with Abby or at NCIS. There was a faint hint of sawdust and sweat so she thought she may have been back at Gibbs's, thinking that drinking that bourbon may have been a bad idea. Her head hurt a lot.

She opened her eyes to an absolutely black room. She was moved slow, making sure not to panic.

She slid her hand up her arm and felt the IV sticking into her arm. She reached up above her head and flipped a switch. A small overhead fluorescent took a few moments to flicker on. She looked around and confirmed that she was in a hospital. It smelt sterile and it gave her the creeps. She wasn't a huge fan of hospitals. Actually, she hated hospitals. Bad things always happened to her happened in hospitals.

Her head was starting to hurt. Her hand went up to her temple where the head ache originated. Her fingers touched a bruise, which made her head throb and there was a small cut just a few inches higher.

Morales. The house was clear. What the hell happened?

She leaned back onto her pillows, flapping her hands down on the bed and her right hand hit something. She looked down and saw someone lying there with their head in their arms. The salt and pepper hair and the smell of sawdust hinted that it was Gibbs. She smiled, sat up and ran her hand through his hair gently.

He raised his head slowly and looked around, just as disoriented as Felix felt. Finally his eyes rested on Felix and he smiled. "You're awake."

"Yes I am." She smiled, he looked quite mangy. "How long was I out?"

"About forty-eight hours," He said, "In and out."

Felix stared at him in disbelief, "Forty-eight hours?" She looked around frantically, "I cant be out for forty-eight hours!" Her heart rate was elevating and she felt her breathing start to quicken.

"Felix!" Gibbs said urgently and grabbed her hands, "Calm down. Breathe." He said, standing up and putting his hand against her cheek, "Its okay. I'm here."

Felix looked into his eyes and instantly calmed. Her heart rate went down and her breathing returned to normal, "I'm sorry." She said, "I just sort of lost it."

Gibbs smiled, his hand still on her jaw line, "Its okay. That can be disorienting. I understand." She simply nodded.

"Gibbs..." Felix said, leaning into his hand. She looked up to his eyes, smiling. He was smiling back at her, his eyes tender, nervous.

"Felix, I cant tell you -," He started, his voice sounding uneven.

Then DiNozzo opened the door and Gibbs dropped his hand, "Hey! You're awake!" He smiled and walked towards the bed with a bouquet of flowers. "These are for you my lady."

"Thanks Tony." She smiled. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Okay boss, came to relieve you." Tony said to Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded, getting up and walking out of the room.

"Am I under watch?" Felix growled, feeling a bit annoyed.

"Technically." Tony smiled.

"I just got a bump on the head, I'm perfectly fine." She insisted. "Ugh, have you been trying to look under my paper dress?"

Tony just smiled, "I would have if I'd have been here."

Felix looked up at him confused. "McGee?" Tony shook his head. "Abby?" Another shake. "Just Gibbs?" A nod. "He's been watching me for forty-eight hours?"

"Hasn't left your bed-side yet." He said, sitting down in Gibbs's seat.

"Whoa..." She said, her mind reeling, "He hasn't showered?"

"Nope."

"The head?" Another head shake, "_Coffee?_" She said, frantically.

"No, he's been by your side since the doctors got you in here." DiNozzo said. "Denied medical attention until Ducky came in and insisted. Gibbs wouldn't leave your side. I've been the head of the team, if you call me and McGee a team, the last few days."

"What the hell happened?" Felix said, trying not to think about the sentiment Gibbs's presence implied.

"Morales hid in the attic we think, and jumped down when we left. Held Gibbs at gun point and when you came in, he hid and attacked you." Tony said. Felix touched the side of her head. She remembered walking back into Morales's house and seeing Gibbs's face, he was scared, then everything went black.

"Morales?" Felix asked.

Tony sighed, "Thats something I need to ask you about." He started. "I need you to be honest with me -,"

Gibbs came into the hospital room with a cup of coffee, "You're relieved DiNozzo."

"We'll talk later." Tony smiled at Felix. He stood up and kissed her on the cheek, "Feel better okay? We need you back on the team. Everyone's been worried sick."

She kissed him back, "Give everyone my love."

"Of course." Tony smiled. He walked by Gibbs and simply nodded. Felix thought that was a very strange way of saying goodbye.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, sitting down on her bed, his hand on her thigh.

She smiled up at him, "Okay. The details are a little fuzzy."

Gibbs smiled, "We'll debrief you when you're back at work. Right now isn't the time. You need to sleep."

"I've been sleeping for two days. What I want is a shower and real food." She looked down at her arm. "I also don't want to be a human pin cushion anymore."

He smiled, "I know what you mean." He stood up and was walking towards the door.

"Gibbs?" She said, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. He turned around, "Um, where you going?" She said softly.

"I'll be right back." He smiled and left.

Felix leaned back on the pillow. She felt wide awake and exhausted at the same time. What was Gibbs going to say before Tony came in? It was very unlikely that he was going to go back to it and she was dying to know what he couldn't tell her.

A few seconds later, the door to Felix's room opened. A doctor and a male nurse came in, followed by Gibbs.

"I'm glad you're awake." The doctor said. "I'm Dr. Alexis. We brought you in because of slight trauma to the head. We did all the normal tests and didn't find any fractures or brain swelling so we're not exactly sure why you were out for so long." He smiled and walked over to her side. He started checking her vitals. "You look good and you say your hungry, right?" She nodded ecstatically, "Thats a good sign. Erik here will run a few more tests on you to check cognitive functioning, but I think we're safe to say you'll be just fine. You'll probably be able to go home tomorrow. We'd like to keep you here for one more night. Just for observation."

"Can I shower?" Felix asked.

"Sure," Dr. Alexis said, "I don't see anything wrong with that. This is a private room so the bathroom is just through that door. Just be careful of the cut on your temple."

"Ok, thanks doctor." She said.

"No problem, let us know if you need anything else ok?" He smiled and left.

The young, attractive nurse came up and started asking Felix questions. Name, birth date, did she know what year it was, what was her job, and other things much like that. He was about 6'3" and he had dark auburn hair and light green eyes. He was on the skinnier side, but his arms were muscular and his smile was nice. Felix felt a little strange as this guy poked and prodded at her with Gibbs less than two feet away.

"Well Mrs. Rainier-,"

"Its Ms. and you can call me Felix." She smiled.

He smiled back, widely, "So Felix, everything looks really good. The swelling and bruising has gone down. You're coherent. You're eyes are tracking fine. You're color is great." He said with a little more enthusiasm than before. "I'll put it on your chart that you will start on solid foods tomorrow. We'll get some soups and maybe some oatmeal for tonight so that you're stomach doesn't get overwhelmed." She grimaced, "I know, I know. It doesn't sound fun, but we don't want someone as pretty as you getting sicker." He smiled and Felix blushed. Gibbs was standing on the other side of the bed, sipping his coffee.

"Okay, thanks Eric." She said. "Its okay if I shower, right?"

"Sure, there are towels in the bathroom. Do you need help?" He smiled playfully.

"Um, no I think I'm okay." She said, blushing and giving her shy smile to Gibbs and he cleared his throat, loudly.

It seemed like Erik had finally just noticed him there, "Hi, are you her father?"

Gibbs face didn't change, but his eyes instantly froze over. Felix looked up at Gibbs and looked at Eric who wasn't picking up on the I'm-going-to-rip-off-your-extremities-with-my-teeth look. Felix grabbed her cup and took a sip of water quickly and started coughing hysterically to distract them from each other. Both of them started to dote on her and asking her if she were all right.

"I'm fine. Thank you." She smiled at Erik.

"Ok, lets get that IV out." Erik smiled, and disconnected her IV, covering up the hole with some medical tape and a cotton ball. "Let me know if there's anything else you need." He smiled, letting his hand rest on hers for an extended moment. She simply nodded and then he was gone.

Felix bit her lip to keep from smiling and wouldn't look at Gibbs. He walked around the bed and sat down next to her again and kissed her on the cheek. "You feeling up for food?"

She nodded and sipped on the water again. She looked up at him desperately, "Please don't make me eat hospital food."

Gibbs smiled, setting his hand on her leg, his thumb brushing her thigh above the covers, "I wouldn't dream of it." He stood up from the bed, "I'll have someone bring you some food and some clothes."

"Okay, thanks." She said. He was still standing there, staring down at her, smiling, "What are you going to do?" She asked, confused.

He pulled off his dirty jacket and set it on the chair next to the bed, "I'm going to shower."

"S-shower?" Felix asked. Gibbs nodded, untucking his shirt.

"Its a private room." Gibbs smiled, undoing his belt, "The bathroom is right over here." He said, walking over to the closed door and opening it. He flipped on the light but Felix could only see the back wall, not even the sink, toilet, or shower. She watched him kick off his shoes and leave them outside the door. Felix, still sitting in her bed, was trying to maintain her breathing and keep from passing out when she heard the shower turn on. She watched as a shirt flew to the floor and her heart started beating furiously. She closed her eyes trying to concentrate her breathing and heart rate. She was not trying to think about the insanely attractive man now undressing less than fifteen feet away from her.

Her breathing returned to normal and her heart rate stabilized. She opened her eyes and saw Gibbs standing in a halo from the bathroom light, shirtless. He walked over to the door of the hospital room and clicked the lock shut. He crossed over to the bed and leaned in, placing his hands on either side of her hips, his lips an inch away from hers. She was breathing quicker again, and his smell was flooding her nostrils.

She smiled nervously, "You're right. You need a shower." He just chuckled and slid his hands beneath the covers and slowly pulled them down past her feet.

"So do you." He smiled, dragging his hands back up the same pathway, letting his fingertips drag along her legs all the way back to her hips.

He took her hands in his and pulled her slowly to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close to him, steadying her. She grinned up at him, her hand tracing up his arms feeling the muscles beneath his skin.

"Do I have a concussion?" Felix asked quietly.

Gibbs pulled her closer, his hand moved to brush her hair out of her face. "No," He touched her face gently, "Just a few bruises." His fingers moved to brush against her lips.

She let out a ragged breath, looking down, "Gibbs?"

He smiled, "Felix..." He said, almost scoldingly.

She looked up at him again, "Yes?" She said, playfully annoyed, "We're not at work, we're not at your home, what should I call you then, Leroy?" A big smile.

He put his finger underneath her chin and lifted her face to meet his, "I'd kill you before I let you do that." He smiled.

She cleared her throat, "So?" His hand went to her lower back and tugged at the back of her gown. "Waters still running." She gulped. "Isn't there a shortage?"

Gibbs smiled, "I think we'll be okay." He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bathroom quickly. He leaned her up against the counter and undid his pants, leaving them halfway open and hanging on his hips. He took a step towards her and she was having more trouble breathing.

"What about, t-the rules?" Felix gasped as he closed the distance, her fingers against his hard chest. Gibbs put his hands to the bottom hem of her gown and deftly pulled it up and over her head. It happened so fast that it made her head swim slightly and she felt her knees turn rubbery. She felt herself sway slightly but Gibbs grabbed her quickly, pulling her entirely naked body against his only half-naked one.

"You okay?" He asked, his hands caressing her back.

She got chills from his fingertips, "Uhhmm yes." She murmured and nodded her head. Gibbs smiled and backed her up into the counter. He lifted her swiftly and placed her on the counter's edge.

"Stay." He smiled bending to slip off his pants. She mumbled something nervously. "What was that?" He asked, standing back up. Felix's eyes combed over his body. He was all working man's muscle. His body lean and hard. _All_ of it was hard. Her eyes widened and she looked back up to him. He was smiling, "Speak up I'd _like_ to be in a hurry." He said, stepping out of his pants.

She was blushing furiously, "Its cold." She whimpered.

He pushed her legs apart and moved in between them, "Don't worry about that." He smiled, digging his fingers into her hips, "I'll keep you warm." He said and kissed her hard. She moaned into the kiss, her entire body pressing into him, his hands moving over her body, caressing her breasts and moving down lower. His lips moved down her neck, to her chest, and took one of her nipples into his mouth.

"Omigod..." She gasped. He kissed back up her neck and smiled.

"You like that?" He growled, his hand moving between her thighs and testing her. She whimpered as he rubbed her softly, "And that?" He teased. Her eyes fluttered as she nodded ecstatically. He dipped his fingers deeper into her and she moaned, her hands moving to his shoulders and gripping him hard. Her nails dug into the skin. "Easy there sweetheart." He smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her while his fingers moved gently inside of her.

"G-Gibbs?" She murmured.

"Yes Felix?" He smiled, kissing her neck, nipping at the skin.

"Uh," She sighed, her brow knit in concentration, "The waters still on." She said, his fingers still moving inside of her at an intensely pleasurable pace, "And you still smell."

He started laughing, pulling his fingers from her slowly and kissing her softly, "All right then," He said, lifting her off the counter, her body flush against his, "First things first." He said, letting her go and turning to open the shower door. Steam poured out.

"Trying to kill bacteria?" Felix smiled.

"Cant stand the heat?" He chuckled.

Felix smiled and pushed past him and hopped into the shower. She turned around a few times and let the water fall over her. It felt amazing. She turned her head over her shoulder and smiled at Gibbs. He was staring at her intently, a soft smile on his lips.

"This wont even turn my skin red." She laughed.

He chuckled as he walked into the shower, pushing her back against the wall, "I know something that will make your skin red." He attacked her mouth, tasting every inch of it.

Felix smiled and pushed him off softly. She grabbed the soap from behind him and held it out to him, "I'll do you."

He smiled wryly, "I've been waiting for you to say that." He kissed her deeply, his hands moving down her slick body.

Felix chuckled into his lips, his hands brushing over her breasts, "Jesus Gibbs, cleanliness first." She said and started lathering him up.

They proceeded to get soapy and grope around for a while, getting to know each others bodies until it became too distracting. They rinsed quickly and Gibbs grabbed her.

"Fuck this." He spat and tossed the soap over the shower door.

Before it even hit the ground, he lifted her up, pressed her against the shower wall and entered her in one smooth thrust. Felix moaned loudly while he moved inside of her and Gibbs crashed his lips onto hers, pulling himself completely out before thrusting back in slowly. The sounds she was making while they kissed were driving him absolutely crazy. His hands gripped her ass to hold her in place, moving inside of her deftly.

"Trying to wake the dead?" He chuckled, kissing her.

"Not..my....fault..." She said between labored breaths and kisses.

He laughed, "Don't get too excited Felix, this will not be quick."

She moaned again, "I wouldn't expect anything less." She kissed him deeply, biting his lip.

"Good." He growled and pulled himself out of her, much to her dismay.

He let her down, turned her around, and placed her hands on the shower wall. His hands moved to her hips, "You'll like this." He said into her ear while he pushed himself inside of her. She moaned loudly again, he leaned forward to kiss and nip at her back and neck. "I want to hear how much you like this one."

She was biting her lip to keep from getting too loud, "Oh God Jethro." She said, trying desperately to grip the wall.

"Wont be able to hold on there," He smiled, kissing her neck and he moved in long hard strokes.

"Gibbs," She whined and he took an extra slow thrust into her, "Fucking hell." She rasped, leaning all her weight against the wall.

With sudden force, he wrapped his arm around her waist and thrust deep. She let out a pleasured yell and he pulled her flat against his chest. With the arm around her waist, gripping the opposite hip, he held her in place. His other hand grabbed one of hers and lifted it to wrap around his neck. She gripped her fingers in his hair and he used his chin to nudge her head to the side so he could have access to her neck. His hand slid from her stomach down lower and she moaned twice as loud feeling his thrusts inside of her and his fingers playing with her.

"That's my girl." He growled into her ear, "I want to hear you come sweetheart."

"Omigod," She moaned, her breaths coming harder, her heart beating against her rib cage. "Oh shit..."

"Come on Felix." Gibbs growled, "Come for me." He bit down on her neck, his hand moving down her side and gripping one of her breasts. He heard her breaths turning into moans and he increased his speed and his intensity as she rolled her body into his. She finally came, moaning his name. Her legs went weak and Gibbs caught her, turned her around, and lifted her, pinned to the wall, and thrust inside of her in one move.

Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck as she kissed him deeply. One hand moved from her hip to grip her hair. She moaned again, kissing his neck, biting his shoulder, eliciting a moan from him lips. He pulled her lips harshly back up to his and ravished her mouth in a wonderfully painful way.

"Felix," Gibbs moaned into her lips.

"Jethro." She said softly and he looked deep into her eyes. Felix placed her hands on either side of his face and kept kissing him deeply. She leaned her head away from him, staring intently into his eyes. He watched her face as he moved inside of her, smiling, moaning, biting her lower lip and saying his name.

"Jesus Felix." Gibbs moaned, he burried his face into her neck, biting at her skin. She had her lips to his ear, saying his name over and over again.

"Come for me Jethro." She moaned. Gibbs plunged himself into her, kissing her fervently, the heat building in his body, feeling her legs tighten around his waist and pulling him closer.

An intense orgasm crashed over both of them, they slowly slid down the shower wall not separating an inch with Gibbs's back leaned against the wall, Felix on top of him, her forehead pressed against his.

"You know," She said, gasping as the water began running cold, kissing him softly, "I think we were supposed to take a cold shower so this wouldn't happen."

He laughed and kissed her deeply, "Why would we want that?" He said, brushing away the damp hair in her face. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling. He looked at his fingers. They were covered in blood. "Shit, Felix!"

Her eyes were still closed, "What?"

He looked up and turned off the water, "You're bleeding." He said, helping her up.

"I'm fine." She said, smiling.

He helped her out of the shower and on to the counter and sat her down, grabbing a hand towel to the side and cleaning up the cut. "You're not fine, your bleeding." He growled.

"Gibbs, it was just from washing my hair." She said sweetly, "Casualties of a head wound."

He examined her face, it looked like the cut was just reopened, "I hurt you, we shouldn't have -,"

And then she punched him. He stumbled back a bit, seeing stars.

"What the fuck Felix?" Gibbs growled, checking his lip for blood.

She was awake now and looking pissed off, "How _dare_ you!" She growled and tried to swing at him again but he dodged it this time. "You are so fucking lucky I'm in the after glow you conceited bastard! Do you _really_ think I'd let you hurt me if I didn't want it?" She scoffed, "Do you actually think that if I had said 'stop' you wouldn't have?" He looked slightly ashamed. "Jethro, you cant pull that kind of shit. I wont take your pity, especially after what we just did. If I wanted you to stop, I would have _made_ you." She growled and like an upset child she crossed her arms over her naked breasts. Gibbs walked back up to her.

He lifted up her chin with his knuckle, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Felix nodded, "Right as rain." She said impetuously.

He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her tightly. "You aren't the first woman to hit me." He smiled.

She chuckled, "Funny, since you're not the first woman_ I've_ hit either." He laughed and helped her down off the counter. He sorta patted himself dry with one of the extra towels.

"You know that was a pretty good hit." He smiled, rubbing his jaw.

Felix just turned and smiled wide, "I know." She yawned and stretched, "But I could care less about anything else until I get a pair of my own pajamas and not a napkin with ties-,"

"You know, I thought it was quite useful..." He said, fingering the lower hem of her towel.

"AND," She said with emphasis smacking at his lingering hand, "Something delicious to eat." She walked out of the bathroom, running fingers through her hair so it would dry appropriately.

She turned and saw him naked, climbing into his clothes. He smiled at her, tenderly, and finished pulling on his pants. Then there was a knock on the door and Felix looked at Gibbs confused.

"They're bringing you clothes and food." He smiled, walked over to the door and flipped the lock. Abby and McGee came charging in.

"Felix!" Abby yelled and jumped on her, hugging her tightly.

"Easy Abby, you'll knock me out of my towel." She chuckled as Abby hugged her tighter and they exchanged kisses. McGee did the same, hugging and kissing her cheek. They both let go a fusillade of questions: when will you come home, when will you be back at work, when will you be allowed to dance again, and things much like that. No one questioned a wet and toweled Felix and a slightly damp and shirtless Gibbs. They handed her a pair of pajamas and a bag of food. She smiled widely, kissed them both soundly, and thanked them profusely. She dropped her towel, changing without a sense of modesty, poor McGee almost choked on his own tongue, until Gibbs grabbed his shoulder and turned them both around for the sake of seeming like gentlemen. Abby just kept talking about Tony being in charge, how Tony and McGee fought like a married couple, and how Abby was about to shoot herself because of all the testosterone. Gibbs watched as they chatted, pulling on his undershirt, Felix shoving food in her face as if she'd been starved for months.

Felix finished eating in seconds and she was sitting in bed, listening to Abby chatter about molecular identification of specific fungal spores, which would bore just about anyone except those two. However, Felix's head was drooping, her eyes tired. He thought about their session in the shower and a shiver went down his spine. He smiled as she yawned.

"Guys, she needs her rest." He said sternly. "She'll be back on Monday."

Felix nodded, smiling sweetly, very sleepily. Gibbs helped her lay down and McGee and Abby snuck in a goodbye kiss and hug.

"We need to talk when you get back." Abby said sternly.

"Abby, not now." Gibbs said, but Felix was surprised by the look in her eyes.

"Okay." Felix replied nervous. Gibbs just scooted the two out and locked the door behind them.

He walked over to the bed and pulled off his shirt and pants. He patted her ass, "Scoot."

"Ugh," She said swatting pointlessly at his hand. "Don't hit me, I'm too tired to fight back." She whined into the pillow.

Gibbs climbed into bed and pulled the covers over the two of them. He slipped an arm under her head and let the other one fall over her side. "Promise?" He said, kissing her neck softly and letting a hand move slowly down her front.

"Not fair..." She whined. He slipped his hand down past the waistband of her shorts, "Doubly," She breathed louder, "Not fair."

Gibbs rolled on top of her, kissing her heatedly, "Alls fair," He said, whipping off her shorts and sliding into her, "In love and war."


	5. Chapter 5

**-5-**

As promised, Felix was going back at work on Monday morning. The bruise on her head was almost gone and the cut was scabbing over nicely. It'd be gone in another few days, just another scar on her body.

It was Sunday and she would be able to go back tomorrow, the thought made her smile

She had stayed a few days at Abby's while she was supposed to be "resting" and instead of taking things too easy, she worked out a little and kept in contact with Abby, McGee, and Tony via the webcam on her lap top. It was nice to be able to lay down for a few minutes, but Felix felt like she was having withdrawals. She wasn't an active, participating member of the team and it was driving her nuts. Thankfully they didn't get any big cases while she was gone.

She slept in a little that morning, got up and made herself some of her special coffee and condensed milk to satiate her sweet tooth.

Abby had gotten a call earlier and rushed out of the house to help with a case, it took all of Felix's energy not to hide in her trunk. Gibbs would have been upset with her.

She sipped her coffee and smoked a cigarette on Abby's apartment balcony, letting her thoughts wander. She hadn't spoken to Gibbs since the day after they slept together. He was tender and kind the morning after, but since then, not a single peep.

She wasn't freaking out, but it did make her uncomfortable. If he wanted it to be nothing, it was easy enough to just say so. She'd done that in the past: slept with a friend because the need to do so was so acute it was almost painful. She was perfectly capable of keeping things professional. She just hated the awkward moments that ensued because the guys didn't know how to be mature about things. She thought Gibbs had been different. She thought that he knew she was different. She sighed. She _hated_ drama.

Her phone buzzed next to her and she looked at the read out. It was DiNozzo.

"Hey Tony, what's up?" She smiled, sipping her coffee.

"Hey, I know you aren't supposed to come back until tomorrow, but, we have a problem here." He said, sounding nervous.

She flicked her cigarette off the balcony and exhaled, "What's going on?"

"Well, we cant get a hold of Gibbs and we need another man on this case. We're planning on a take down. I wouldn't have called except McGee and I are a little desperate and the director wants this to happen _today_." DiNozzo said, seriously.

She frowned. They couldn't find Gibbs? That wasn't normal. He almost always answered his phone...unless he turned it off and couldn't figure out how to turn it back on.

"Ok, I'm there. What's the address?" Tony read it out and Felix copied it down on the back of her hand. "I'll be there as soon as I can." She said and flipped her phone shut. Her mind was racing as she ran through Abby's apartment, throwing on a pair of pants and a shirt, grabbing her gun and badge. She was pretty sure she had a vest in her trunk as she made her way to her car.

Her mind strayed to Gibbs. He was a creature of habit. Though being mysterious was his habit, he never let himself be unreachable. Rule # 3. She worried about him, but first and foremost she had to protect her team. They would work on Gibbs after they took this guy down. If McGee and DiNozzo couldn't handle it without Gibbs she knew that the help was needed.

She hopped into her car, punching the address into her GPS and arrived in about five minutes. She jumped out of her car and looked around. She saw the NCIS Charger in the front lawn, but all was quiet. She drew her gun and walked up to the front door, she went to knock and realized it was open, so she pushed through, holding her gun in front of her.

"NCIS!" She yelled, but all was still quiet. She walked further into the foyer, scanning the hallway in front of her for movement. "Tony! McGee!" She yelled, but there was no response.

She got to a doorway that opened into a moderately sized den. She peeked around, looking for any movement and couldn't see anything. She turned the corner fast, her gun drawn, but there was no one there. The room had a large Ikea type couch in the center facing a large flat screen TV with empty shelves lining the walls on either side. The place was simple, but looked comfortable. She turned around and saw another doorway that probably led to the kitchen. She took a few soft steps and heard something thundering to her side.

Before she could turn and shoot she was knocked to the ground, her gun skidding across the floor. She tried turning on her back to fight, but before she could throw a punch a familiar scent filled her nostrils and she felt a large, wet, tongue scrape up the side of her face.

She rolled over and looked up at a monstrous beast with its plate sized paws on either side of her head and its tongue hanging out of its gleaming teeth lined jaws. The beast licked her face again and she almost started crying.

"DEXTER!?" She screamed, looking into the black monster's bright gold eyes. "DEXTER!" She screamed excitedly and wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him tightly. He was lavishing her face with gloriously wet kisses as she sat up, still trying to hug him.

She heard a creak coming from the kitchen area and her and Dexter both turned to look. DiNozzo stuck his head out from behind the jamb and smiled.

"Hi there." He said and walked out.

"Hi DiNozzo!" Felix smiled. Dexter started to growl. "HEY!" She yelled at him, he turned, dipping his head and flattening his ears to his head, looking very submissive for being three feet tall. "He's a friend Dexter. Be nice." She said and pointed at DiNozzo. Dexter smiled his wolfish grin and pranced over to DiNozzo, sniffed him and licked his hand.

"Okay! Its safe!" DiNozzo shouted and McGee and Abby came from inside the kitchen. Abby was white-knuckle-gripping a spatula in her hands and McGee was hiding behind her.

"Hi guys!" Felix smiled. "Dexter, be nice!" He went through the same routine, sniffing and licking their hands. Then he trotted over to Felix who was still sitting splayed legged on the floor. He collapsed between her legs, his giant body leaning up against her tiny one. "What's going on? I thought this was a crime scene."

Tony shrugged, "We lied." Felix chuckled.

"We figured this was the only way to get you to come out without getting yourself in trouble." McGee said.

Felix rolled her eyes, "Seriously? I almost shot my own dog."

"Yea, we didn't think about you being armed." Abby grimaced.

Felix just smiled as she whispered to Dexter, rubbing his belly and kissing his head, "What is all this?" She said gesturing to the house around her.

"It's yours!" Abby smiled. Felix just looked confused.

"Huh?" She replied utterly lost, "How did you get Dexter here? He usually wont travel with anyone unless I give him the go-ahead."

Abby smiled, "Yea, we learned that the hard way." DiNozzo, McGee and Abby turned to look at the doorway and Gibbs came in, smiling.

"Gibbs!" Felix smiled. She jumped up and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and placing a fat kiss on his lips. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and then she pushed off. "Geez, sorry! I'm just so happy to see Dexter." She said, Gibbs just smiled. Everyone was staring at them, confused. Felix just turned and started hugging and kissing everyone on the lips. "Oh man! I'm so happy!" She said, her eyes watering. "But Abby, where are we gonna keep him?"

Abby just smiled and turned to Gibbs, "This was his idea."

Felix turned, looking at Gibbs confused, "You're gonna keep him here." He said.

Felix looked around, "Who lives here?" She asked, sitting back on the ground and Dexter ran over happily and collapsed in her legs again, exposing his gigantic belly.

"You do." Gibbs said plainly.

Felix's head shot up, "Huh?"

Gibbs smiled, "I have a friend who travels a lot. He's looking to sublet this place. He bought it as a place for him to stay in Virginia, but his work just gets him hotels now, so its basically empty and he doesn't have the time to sell it. I told him I had an employee that needed a place to stay and he practically threw the place at me."

"Furnished?" Felix said, still dazed.

"Actually all that money you tried to pay me for rent went into buying you stuff for here. You told me you had some stuff in storage like," She started counting off her fingers, "Your books, movies, clothes, game consoles, and computer, but I knew you needed a bed, shelves, a TV, kitchen stuff..." She trailed off.

"But Abby, I paid you that for letting me stay at your apartment." Felix said, her face still blank.

"I know, but you paid me way too much. Don't think I didn't splurge on myself a little." She chuckled.

"Guys, I cant..." Felix muttered, hugging Dexter tightly.

"Please Felix..." McGee said, "This was handed to us." Gibbs cleared his throat, "Rather, handed to Gibbs. He made everything work. Abby bought stuff. Tony and I just moved things in."

Felix jumped up again and wrapped her arms around McGee's neck and kissed his cheek, "Thank you. I _hate_ moving."

"Well?" Abby asked, "Want to go get your shit?"

Felix smiled, "Yes!" She was still hugging McGee. She let go and kissed DiNozzo on the lips and squeezed him tightly.

"Cant. Breathe." He rasped.

Felix kept squeezing, "Don't be such a puss." She smiled and let go. "Would you guys mind helping me move some more shit?"

DiNozzo shrugged, "I mean its not like I didn't move the TV, the shelves, the bed..."

Gibbs smacked him on the back of the head, "Be a gentleman Tony." He smiled.

"Thanks!!" Felix smiled and grabbed Abby's hand and tugged her out the door, the men all following.

Thankfully Abby had borrowed a truck so when they went to the storage facility to pick up Felix's stuff, which easily fit in the truck bed. They made their way back to Felix's new _house_. The thought of it still made her heart explode with happiness. She'd have her own place with Dexter. Not that she didn't absolutely love Abby, but having your own space was definitely necessary, especially when your dog just about outweighs you.

The guys helped her bring all of the boxes in and Felix got to organizing her things. All in all, Felix sort of sold just about everything she owned in California, except for books, clothes, movies, video games and a few electronics. McGee set up the entertainment center as well as her computer area, Abby was set on organizing her clothes and bedroom, while Gibbs and DiNozzo mostly lugged all of the boxes in and out of the rooms for Felix and Abby.

"Jesus Felix, have enough books?" DiNozzo asked, plopping down another box. Dexter rose his head from his bed on the floor directly next to Felix to glare at DiNozzo but then he just laid his head back down, unbelievably happy to be back with his mistress.

"No," She smiled, "No I don't DiNozzo. I could _never_ have enough books." She said, sighing happily. All of her favored possessions were back and it was taking her back to a happier place of having her own space.

"Well, I can see your movie selection is limited." Tony shook his head reproachfully.

Felix just smiled, "You haven't seen what movies I've got on my hard drive."

DiNozzo looked at her confused, "You can put movies on your hard drive?"

Felix nodded, "Yeah, I've got about 50% of my collection on my hard drive."

"Wow." DiNozzo said, "McGee hurry up. I want to watch a movie."

"I'm working on it." He growled behind the TV.

"I can do that Tim," Felix smiled, "I've done it all before."

"Nope, its okay. I'm almost done anyways." Tim smiled, "I'm just finishing hooking up your computer. Got the Xbox and PS3 all set."

"Jesus, why do you have so many game thingys?" Gibbs asked.

Felix smiled, "Don't fear old and mighty one, I have those because most of my friends are males. And occasionally I like to screw around with video games."

"What kind of games?" Gibbs asked, starting to examine her library of movies and books more closely. She had movies of all genres, some from way before she was born.

"Strategy games. Driving games. Fighting games. I had a boyfriend in high school who got me hooked on some pretty RPGs with good story lines." She smiled, "Don't worry, I don't do raids on the weekends like McGee."

"Shut up!" He groused, finishing up the connection.

"Raids?" Gibbs asked, looking at McGee.

"Don't ask boss. Its one of those MMORPG things."

"A what?" Gibbs said.

"Never mind." DiNozzo said dismissively.

It took a few hours, but Felix finally got the house set up in the way that she wanted. She thanked everyone vivaciously, giving more kisses and hugs. They were all relatively exhausted so she bought them beer and pizza to atone for the physical exertion.

When the pizza guy came, they all gorged and watched a movie that everyone would like - even Gibbs, even though he wouldn't admit it. When the movie was over and the pizza was devoured everyone took off to their own homes to get some sleep for the next day.

"Good night guys." Felix smiled, giving kisses and hugs to Abby, McGee and DiNozzo.

"Night Felix!" Abby smiled and left with McGee.

"Have a good night." DiNozzo said in a husky sultry voice, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Can I have a real kiss, sweetie?"

"Sure." Felix smiled, "Dexter, Kisses!" She yelled and pointed at Tony. Dexter came barreling out through the front door and tackled Tony effortlessly, slathering his face with drool. "Off Dexter." She smiled and he retreated back to his spot on the couch.

"Jesus." DiNozzo said, wiping the liters of drool from his face. He stood up slowly. "Thanks." He glared at Felix and she smiled back. Tony walked to his car, cursing softly. Felix went back inside, looking for Gibbs.

Gibbs hung out for a little bit, examining her books and movies one more time, staring at her entertainment center, which looked like it belonged in MTAC. He turned and saw her standing in the doorway, watching him.

"So." He said, his hands in his pockets, looking at her books. "You obviously like to read."

Felix smiled making her way into the room with him and sitting on her couch with Dexter, "Yes, reading lets me escape from reality for a few hours."

He sat down next to her, letting his fingers rest on the base of her neck and play with her hair. "I can understand that." He smiled.

She turned to him, "I don't understand something." She said, staring at her hands nervously.

"What?" He said, scooting closer to her.

"Why?" She asked.

He looked confused, "Why what?"

"Why did you do this for me?" She said, softly. "Why are you all so nice to me?" She sounded as if she may cry.

Gibbs tipped her chin up to look into her large watery eyes and smiled tenderly, "Because you're part of the team now. You're part of our family and we take care of our own."

Felix smiled widely as a single tear fell down her cheek, "I'm sorry..."

He wiped away her tear, "Don't apologize, especially for your tears."

"Its just..." She smiled, "I've been so alone for a long time. This is so..." She looked up at Gibbs, waving her hands trying to find the right word, "Nice?"

He laughed, touching her face softly, "I'm only mostly a bastard." He smiled and she laughed, "Tony, McGee and Abby, they are nice to the core."

She smiled, "I know. They really are. I just can't believe you all would do this for me."

Gibbs smiled, "We didn't really go out of our way..." He started.

Felix scoffed, "Abby went and bought me a bunch of furniture. I'm guessing you and Tony put it all together. McGee assembled my complex entertainment center. You _fucking_ found me a house to rent!" She pushed him, "Don't tell me you guys didn't go out of your way. I don't even know where to start thanking you."

He smiled and leaned in, kissing her gently, "You don't have to."

She looked up at him, smiling wide, "Thank you anyways." She said and hugged him. "Dexter?" She said over her shoulder and Dexter popped his head up. She said something in another language and Gibbs pulled back.

"Hu-," He started to say when Felix moved swiftly and Dexter leapt on top of Gibbs and started licking his face frantically. "Ah!" Gibbs shouted. "Call him off, call him off!"

Felix laughed and said something else in another language. Dexter climbed over Gibbs and laid himself on top of Felix's lap, licking her hand gently.

"What did you tell him?" Gibbs groaned as he sat back up, wiping his face with his sleeve.

"I told him 'kisses' in Vietnamese." She smiled, Dexter's head perked up and looked over at Gibbs, who shot him a "Hell no" look.

"You speak Vietnamese?" Gibbs looked at her, confused.

She nodded, "Vietnamese, Spanish, and Sign Language."

He nodded and signed, "How long have you spoken your many different languages?"

Felix smiled and replied, "Spanish since I was five, Vietnamese since high school, and sign language since college."

"Very nice." Gibbs said out loud.

"Thank you." She smiled. She looked at her watch, it was 11:30. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

She looked nervously at her hands and then back up at him, "I don't want you to take this the wrong way..." She bit her lip.

"Spit it out." He chuckled.

She smile faintly, "I haven't spoken to you in almost a week. I would just like to know if what happened between us... If it was a one time thing?" She grimaced.

He smiled back faintly, "I honestly don't know." He stroked her hair again.

She nodded, "Okay, I can deal with that, since I don't really know what to think of it either." She cleared her throat, " To get the awkwardness out of the way, let me clear up a few things," She smiled, "First of all I don't want to screw with your career or the team dynamic. I don't expect, nor do I want, special treatment just because we've slept together."

Gibbs nodded solemnly, "All right."

"Secondly, I have to admit I care about you. As a person," She said, having trouble finding the words, "As a friend. I trust you. You make me..." She looked up at him, doing the thing with her hands again, "_Feel_." He looked at her seriously, "I can't explain it very well. But I've not felt _anything_ in a long time. I mean _anything_. For the first time you, all of you, have made me feel happy, excited, welcome," She smiled again, "Safe."

"Felix -,"

"I'm not telling you I love you, so don't freak out. I'm just being honest." She scoffed, "Actually I'm pretty sure that I'm not capable of loving anyone anymore. But I care about you guys."

Gibbs leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips, "I have to admit, we all care about you too."

"That's all I want." Felix said, "No promises. Nothing special." She laughed, "You don't have to worry about that, I'd just like some functional relationships in my life. Even if they're just all friendships."

"And maybe something more?" Gibbs asked.

"It doesn't have to be." She shrugged. "I'm not asking for it. We have needs that need to be serviced -,"

"Its not like that..." Gibbs said.

Felix looked up at him, "Whatever it is, I'm okay with it. If it evolves, cool, if it doesn't, oh well. You're my boss, I respect you and I trust you. Work is work, whatever else there is between us is personal, so it doesn't have to be involved."

"So you don't mind if I sleep with other women?" He smiled.

Felix grinned, "If you can get another woman hotter than me, I'll spring for the viagra." He made a motion to hit her on the head and Dexter growled at him.

"And will you sleep with other men?" He said, trying to hide the jealousy behind his features.

She smiled at him, "Hmm, I can see a little green brewing behind your blue eyes," She chuckled, "I don't sleep around. Especially if I have a good thing going."

He moved himself closer, "You consider me a good thing?" He said, his hand putting a lock of hair behind her ear.

She smiled, "I do."

"How good?" He grinned, using his other hand to do the same with the other ear.

She chuckled, "Pretty good."

"Just pretty good?"

She smiled, "I don't know," She said, climbing onto his lap and straddling him, "I don't remember." He grinned as she lowered her lips to his and kissed him deeply, "Remind me?"

He smiled, "Absolutely." He said, slipping hands under her shirt and pulling it off quickly. His mouth descended on her neck, tasting her skin and the sweat that had dried there. "Looks like someone needs a shower."

She smiled down at him, stroking his jaw line, "I'd rather have my memory jogged."

"Bedroom first, christen it properly," He smiled, kissing her neck, "Then the shower." He kissed down her neck, "Then the kitchen." His face was between her breasts, "Back in here."

"Luckily you have the refractory period of a 16 year old nymphomaniac." She said as he slid down the strap of her bra and let his mouth slowly cover her nipple. She inhaled sharply, her hands gripping at the sides of his head. "Jesus Gibbs."

He stood up with her still wrapped around him and he carried her into her bedroom and laid her on the bed. He undid her pants and pulled them off quickly. He laid on top of her, still fully clothed and kissed her, as she rolled her naked body underneath him.

He stood at the edge of the bed and ran his hand down her naked body, "God, you're beautiful."

"Well what are you gonna do about it?"

He smiled, pulled off his shirt, took off his pants and crawled on top of her "I got a few things in mind." He kissed her, sliding in.

----------

Felix woke up with that wonderful limb tingling feeling after a night of vigorus sex. She stretched her limbs, wiggled her fingers and moaned at the feeling. She rolled over and instead of finding a handsome older gentleman who was supposed to be naked, she found Dexter, staring at her intently. He started to wag his tail and it shook the bed.

"Morning Dexter." Felix smiled and Dexter stretched out, licking at her face, but missing. "Time for a run." She smiled and Dexter leapt off the bed and ran out of her room. She looked at the pillow next to the hers and saw a crumpled note, no doubt Dexter had laid on top of it.

_Morning,_

_Had to get up and get some stuff from home. I will see you at work._

_Welcome back,_

_Gibbs_

She smiled into her pillow, excited that she'd be going into work for the first time in almost a week. She got up slowly, pulled on her running gear, and made her way out to the front room, where Dexter was waiting, collar and leash in his mouth. She chuckled and slid his leash over his head. He didn't need the collar or the leash, but the last time she took him on a run without a leash, someone reported her, and Dexter didn't need anymore attention.

She tied the long leash around her waist, opened the door and started running down the street at her fastest possible speed. Dexter however trotted happily next to her. His legs were almost as long as hers and he had four of them.

The run was only thirty minutes but getting her blood flowing helped her start her day out in a good way. She got back to her small house, happier than ever to see its bright and shining facade, and started coffee before she jumped in the shower to get ready for work.

On her way out, she said goodbye to Dexter, locked her door, grabbed the coffee she made for the team and headed out to her car. She unlocked it and opened her door when she saw something on her wind shield. It was a beautiful mauve rose. She grabbed it took a sniff and smiled.

She was not exactly the sentimental type, but the idea that Gibbs would leave a flower on her wind shield made her smile. It was a simple, cute gesture that made her rethink her affection for him. She took it into her car, left it on her car seat and left for work.

When she arrived, the elevator dinged open and she realized she was a little early. Tony and McGee weren't there, but she assumed Gibbs would be around somewhere. She dropped a cup off at each of their desks and made her way down to Abby's with a cup for her as well as one for herself.

The elevator opened and she walked into Abby's lab, smiling widely. Abby was at her microscope, peering into its depths with the music blaring. Felix walked over to Abby's side grabbed the remote and turned the music down to a normal level. Abby turned and smiled seeing Felix.

"Good morning beautiful!" Felix smiled handing Abby a cup of coffee.

"Oh bless you," Abby smiled, "I love this stuff." Felix just smiled and sipped on her coffee as Abby sipped hers, sounding like she was having a small orgasm. "Ok, we need to talk."

Felix tried to contain her nervousness, "Bout what?"

Abby glared at her suspiciously, "The _smell_."

"What smell?" Felix chuckled.

"The smell I smelled on you last week! You smelled..." Abby looked around and lowered her voice ominously, "_Different_."

Felix just chuckled, "I told you I slept in my car." Felix flipped open her phone and checked the time. "I have to get back up to the squad room. Everyone should start getting here soon."

"Felix." Abby said, her voice sounding annoyed.

Felix smiled, "We can talk about this later, okay?" Felix said and she was gone. She made her way back up through the elevator, thinking about what she could possibly tell Abby about the _smell_. She couldn't tell her and violate the trust of Gibbs, but she couldn't lie to Abby either.

"Fuck." Felix said to herself, sipping her coffee. When she reached the squad room floor, she saw that no one had arrived yet, so she went to her secret spot to have a cigarette.

She was standing in a small court yard that she never saw people in. There were also no windows or doors leading directly to the yard so she could sit amongst the trees and bushes and smoke a cigarette in peace. She was sure other people knew about this area, but no one ever seemed to be out here when she was.

Her mind went back to her current dilemma: What would she do about Abby? She didn't want to talk about her relationship with Gibbs, because they didn't exactly have one. Or rather, one that she knew how to define. He was her Boss, he was also her friend, and the man she was physically intimate with. It was a stupid thing to let happen, but you cant exactly help who you are attracted to. This wasn't the first time she'd been involved with a superior officer, but the first time wasn't exactly her choice. She shivered and shoved that dark time back into the recesses of her mind.

She stomped out her cigarette, pulled some of her perfume out of her bag and spritzed herself. She also rubbed some scented lotion on her hands and popped a piece of gum into her mouth before heading back into the office. She didn't usually smoke at work, so she didn't want anyone to wonder why she had started.

She wandered back into the squad room just as McGee and DiNozzo came out of the elevator.

"Morning." She smiled and waved.

"Hey, hows the new house?" DiNozzo smiled.

"It's wonderful, I cant thank you guys enough for all the help yesterday." She smiled. DiNozzo walked over to his desk and saw the coffee cup.

"Is this the special coffee?" He asked. Felix nodded, "Thats a start." He smiled and took a long sip. "Oh that's the stuff."

Felix smiled as McGee shuffled quickly over to his desk and saw his cup, "You're a saint." He smiled and took a long sip, giving a satisfied sigh afterwards.

"You guys should be in commercials." Felix smiled.

"I was in commercials." DiNozzo smiled, settling at his desk and typing in his password.

Felix and McGee sat down and got situated at their desks, "Yeah, that's right, the one for the herpes medication?" Felix smiled angelically.

DiNozzo shot her a sarcastic laugh, "Only since you gave them to me."

Felix just rolled her eyes, "You WISH I would be willing to share my herpes with you," She smiled, "But I'd rather shave my -,"

Gibbs walked in and all of them shut up automatically, typing away at their computers. He sat down at his desk without saying a word and saw the coffee cup. Felix was covertly observing him as he picked it up, smelled it, made an appreciative face and took a sip. His eye widened and he grinned, looking over at Felix, who smiled back softly and continued to work on her assignments.

She finished her coffee and background checks on some of the ongoing smaller cases when she was called by nature. She got up and made her way to the bathroom, tossing her empty coffee cup into the recycle bin. Gibbs smiled as she walked by, though he did not look at her. She did not smile, but felt a stirring in her belly as she made her way over to the bathroom - she _really_ hoped it was that she just had to pee.

She finished up in the bathroom and made her way back to the squad room when she was grabbed and tugged into a dark room, the door shut softly.

"What the-,"

A light turned on and it was Abby, glaring at her only inches away from her, "Its later."

Felix tried not to laugh but failed, Abby also started laughing and a few minutes later they calmed enough to speak to each other.

"Ok so _what's_ going on. DiNozzo and McGee may be dense as lead, but I'm not." Abby said, crossing her arms.

Felix sighed, "I don't know what to tell you Abby." She looked into Abby's eyes and bit her lip, "I really don't want to lie to you. But I also can't betray another person's trust. I know you aren't stupid, I'm not trying to _hide_ it. I'm just not exposing it at work."

Abby glared, "Oh this is prime time gossip and I wont be able to talk about it."

Felix looked horrified, "Abby you cant." She pleaded.

Abby scoffed, "I would never. You're my friend. I don't spread secrets. The only reason I have noticed anything is because I'm the most observant." She nodded, satisfied.

Felix leaned her forehead against Abby's and Abby wrapped her arms around Felix, "I don't know what to do." She sighed.

"Don't freak out about it." Abby smiled.

"Oh I'm not, its just weird." Felix said, "I've never had a functional relationship...ever. And to think there's this person treating me nicely? I just don't get it."

Abby squeezed her tighter, "You deserve to be treated nicely, cause you're a nice person."

"Don't ever tell anyone that." Felix smiled, "I'd have to eliminate you."

"I'd like to see you try." Abby smiled.

Felix wrapped her arms around Abby and they squeezed each other tightly, nuzzling their faces into each others neck and giggling.

That's when the door opened. Felix and Abby both looked at the doorway where bright light poured in.

It was Gibbs.

"Uh, hi Gibbs." Abby smiled.

"We have broom closets?" Felix said, finally looking around herself to see cleaning supplies.

Gibbs just smiled, "Sorry to interrupt, but we got a call out. Dead Marine."

Felix nodded and pulled her arms from around Abby, "On it." She said and pushed past Gibbs to go grab her gear.

"Abby?" Gibbs said.

Abby was just smiling wide, "Yes Gibbs?"

He chuckled, turning away, "Quit being nosy."

"Yes Gibbs." She yelled after him.

Felix, Tony and McGee were grabbing their gear as Gibbs came up behind them. Gibbs came up behind Felix and said softly, "Thanks for the coffee." He smiled.

"No problem." She said and they made their way to the elevator.

"Felix," Gibbs said, "Ride with me."

"Yes boss." She said and they made their way into the garage and into the cars. They got in, started the car and headed towards the new crime scene. The ride itself was silent for the most part. Felix stared out the window, looking at the clouds and feeling slightly elated. Thats when she felt Gibbs take her hand into his, lacing his fingers with hers. She looked down at his hand intertwined with hers and her heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Gibbs, smiling and he grinned at her as well. That was the first time anyone she was intimate with had ever held her hand.

They rolled up to the crime scene and Felix let go of his hand. They parked, and Gibbs cursed jumping out of the car. Felix climbed out, watching as Gibbs raced to the crime scene, full of agents in different jackets.

She turned as Tony and McGee climbed out of the car, shooting them confused looks. DiNozzo came over to her and smiled, "Ah, just what we need today."

"Feds?" Felix asked.

"Yeah, how did you know?" McGee smiled, leaning against the car.

"The unnatural sick feeling in my stomach." She smiled and watched as Gibbs started speaking vehemently with what looked like another superior field agent. "Whose Gibbs talking to?"

McGee chimed in, "Special Agent Tobias Fornell."

Felix rose her eyebrows, "He sounds like a formidable nemisis."

DiNozzo nodded, "Married Gibbs's ex-wife."

Felix grimaced, "Oh thats cold."

"Gibbs warned him too." McGee added, "Said that she'd clean him out."

"And she did?" Felix asked, watching Gibbs and Fornell stand off. They were less than a foot away from each other, glaring and snarling through grit teeth. She couldn't hear anything but she had a pretty good idea of what they were talking about. Also, judging by the vein protruding from Gibbs's forehead, it looked like Fornell might be winning. After a few more minutes of observing the pissing match, Felix, DiNozzo and McGee were happy to see Gibbs retreat back over to their car.

"Something wrong boss?" DiNozzo asked.

"FBI is taking the scene." Gibbs growled.

"What?" DiNozzo growled, "Can they do that?"

"They're FBI they can do anything." Felix snarled, "Even eat their young."

Gibbs smiled slightly, "Basically." He said.

"What's going on boss?" McGee asked.

Gibbs looked upset, his jaw was flexing and unflexing a tell tale sign of his anger, "We've got a dead Marine inside. Because of his security clearance, FBI is taking over the investigation. They think it may have had something to do with his previous missions."

Felix looked confused, "FBI can take over jurisdiction because of a security clearance?"

Gibbs nodded, "Unfortunately, the pissing match doesn't end here. Director of the FBI and Director Vance have already gone through all of this and we got the ax."

DiNozzo grimaced, "I hate the FBI."

"Don't we all?" Gibbs smiled, starting to make his way towards the car.

Felix stood, staring at the house with a funny feeling in her stomach, "Gibbs?"

"Yea?" He turned to look at her, but she was facing the house. He walked back over to her, "What's wrong?"

Felix looked sick, "Something with this crime scene," She looked up at him, "Who is the victim?"

Gibbs looked her up and down, her eyes were fixed on the house, "A Marine Sniper spotter. Gunnery Seargeant Jamison Huskins."

"No." She said softly, shaking her head. "What's his service number?"

"65872295."

"No!" She yelled and took off.

"Fe-," Gibbs started, but Felix was already running towards the house.

"Hey!" Fornell yelled and waved at his agents to grab her.

"FELIX!" Gibbs yelled, "Shit!" He started to go after her. "Felix, it's not our sce -, Ooh." He said as an FBI agent tried to intercept her and Felix shoved the heel of her hand into his nose, breaking it and causing blood to gush everywhere. "DiNozzo!"

"Wha-, OH!" DiNozzo said turning as Felix's foot connected with an FBI agents crotch, "On your six!" He yelled, chasing after them.

Felix bursted through the front door, being careful not to touch the handle. A part of her was screaming at her to stop, that this was a crime scene, and she had to be careful. Another part of her was frantically searching for some sign of life. She went through the house carefully and quickly, the entire front room magically clean. Through the hallway which was spotless, each door leading up to the end of it open, revealing an even cleaner room.

The door at the end was closed. Felix felt her mouth go dry as she slowly made her way down the hallway, peaking into the rooms. A spare bedroom, clean. A laundry room, clean. A workout room, clean. The door at the end of the hallway.

Closed.

She pulled a glove out of her pocket and opened the door slowly. She pushed it open, refusing to step inside the room. She heard shuffling behind her, so she took a few steps inside and her heart stopped beating.

Jamison was lying on his bed, all four limbs tied to the bed posts, covered in thousands of deep cuts from head to toe. His face was a mask of pain and fear. The sheets surrounding him were soaked with deep red blood. Some of the wounds were still slowly seeping thick blackish blood.

"NO!" Felix screamed. She leaned against the door jamb, breathing heavily as her head started to swim. Her knees went weak and she started sliding down the wall. She tried to regain her legs, wanted to walk over to him, touch him, stop the bleeding. "Jamison?" She said softly, desperately wanting to put her hands on the wounds to staunch the bleeding. As if he could still be alive.

"Felix!" Gibbs yelled, grabbing her from behind.

"No!" Felix yelled, scratching at Gibbs's arms and kicking at his legs. DiNozzo swooped in and grabbed her legs, lifting her off the ground and helping Gibbs carry her out. "Jamison!" Felix was screaming, tears streaming down her cheeks.

They finally got her into the NCIS van where Ducky pumped her with enough sedative to put down an elephant. She didn't lose consciousness, she just sat there, staring at the house as the FBI worked inside of it, silent tears streaming down her face.

DiNozzo and Gibbs were standing on the side, "What the fuck boss?" DiNozzo asked. McGee and Ducky were sitting with Felix in the truck, patting her hands and trying to get her to talk.

"I want background on Huskins. Every single scrap of information you can get." Gibbs growled, looking back at Felix, her eyes, skin, and lips, absolutely pale and lifeless as she stared at the house. The pain emanating from her, was catastrophic. It hurt Gibbs to look at her. "We need everything about him. I want to know how and if he's connected to Macuso."

"Akina." Felix finally said softly. Gibbs looked back at her. He wasn't sure if she'd actually spoke or not. He went to her side.

"What?" He said his hand light on her cheek, trying to redirect her eyes.

"Akina." Felix muttered, her lip trembling. "Akina is Jamison's daughter."

"Do we need to notify her? His wife?" Gibbs questioned, snapping for a pen and paper.

"Wife's dead." Felix said, finally she met his eyes, "Akina lived with him. She's four. Where _is_ she?" She said sleepily.

"Shit." Gibbs growled. He let go of Felix who started to cry softly and ran over to Fornell.

"We need to talk." Gibbs said, grabbing Fornell's shoulder.

"No shit, that dumb bitch almost fucked up my crime scene." Fornell yelled.

Gibbs threw a punch that knocked Fornell back a few feet, "Feel lucky that I pulled that punch." Gibbs growled, "Felix knows Jamison. He has a daughter. Have you found her?"

"Wha-,"

"HAVE YOUR FOUND HER?" Gibbs yelled, grabbing the lapels of Fornell's jacket.

"No, no one else was in the house other than your agent and the deceased." Fornell growled, pushing Gibbs off of him.

"Put a bolo out on Akina Huskins then." Gibbs growled.

"Who?" Fornell growled, still adjusting his jacket.

"Jamison Huskin's four year old daughter." Gibbs shouted over his shoulder as he walked back over to the van.

----------

Gibbs got Felix home and opened her door with the key he made for himself. She was sedated at high levels, but all it succeeded in doing was making Felix silent. She still cried, wide awake, but not audibly.

He got her showered and in bed but she laid there awake for a long time. He undressed and laid with her, pulling her tightly to him. Thats when she finally broke: crying, screaming, trying to lash out against Gibbs, but he held her tight until her body finally relaxed, no more energy left for anything but the tears.

"Felix..." Gibbs said, softly kissing her ear, not understanding her reaction.

"I'm sorry." She said weakly.

"Don't apologize for your tears." He said, kissing her neck, "You should sleep."

She shook her head almost imperceptibly, "Cant."

He stroked her head, "Why?"

"The nightmares," She murmured, sounding like a scared child. "Gibbs..." She gulped, "He was the only one left." Her lip trembled.

"Felix?" He said, confused.

"He was the only one left from my unit." She said, "Me and Jamison were the only ones left alive."

"I'm so sorry." Gibbs said, tightening the grip he had on her, in a caring way, and not protective.

"I'm the last one." She whispered. "Oh my God...Akina." She started crying again.

"Felix, we'll get the guy." He said seriously.

Suddenly, she stopped, "No. No, I want to fucking kill him. I want to rip his hear out myself" She said, completely devoid of emotion.

"We'll get him." He whispered, "I promise."

Felix started crying again, not as violently as before. But Gibbs held her the entire time, until she finally collapsed. She kept crying softly, even while she slept. Gibbs followed soon after.


	6. Chapter 6

**-6-**

Felix woke up to her internal alarm clock around four a.m. which was an improvement on how long she usually slept. She looked to her side and once again found an extremely furry beast, as opposed to the handsome naked man, she'd hoped for. He wagged his tail and like before, it shook the entire bed.

She slowly put on her running clothes and Dexter jumped out of bed excitedly. He kicked off another crumpled note:

_Stay home today. Get some rest, you can call me later and we'll talk when you're ready._

_Gibbs_

Felix sighed and tossed the note aside and took Dexter for another thirty minute high paced run. Well, at least high paced for her. As usual, Dexter just trotted happily along, his large tongue lolling to the side.

She got back to her house and found another mauve rose on her door step, wondering why she hadn't seen it on her way out but her mind was preoccupied lately. She picked it up and smiled faintly, inhaling the sweet scent and taking it with her inside. She set it on the kitchen counter, starting her couple cups of coffee to take to work with her.

When she got to NCIS, she had five cups ready. Four of them included the condensed milk the other was left black for Gibbs, the consistency of high grade motor oil. The office was empty, of course, with all the lights turned off, only the lingering glitter of computer screen savers.

She made her way over to her desk and set her things down. She noticed that her team had fallen asleep at their desks. She walked over quietly, leaving cups of coffee in front of McGee and DiNozzo. Abby said she'd be down in the lab.

The most surprising sight was a sleeping Gibbs, leaning back in his desk chair. His head hung back, with his mouth wide open in a disturbing manner. She stifled her giggles and set the coffee in front of him. The smell would wake him soon.

She made her way down to Abby's lab. Like the first time she visited, it was dark and the music was at an ear splitting level. She walked in and as usual, the lights turned on and the music lowered.

"Abbs?" Felix yelled out.

Abby came out from her office and shuffled hastily over to Felix and wrapped her arms around her tightly.

"I'm so sorry." Abby said softly. Felix took a deep breath, "Want to talk about it?"

Felix pulled back and smiled softly, "No. Thank you." She handed Abby the coffee.

"Felix..." Abby started, sniffling slightly.

"Abby, I'm going to report to Gibbs first." She smiled, "Jamison was a member of my unit," She swallowed with some effort, "But he was also my friend."

"Felix..." Abby said again, her eyes watering.

"It'll be okay Abby." Felix said putting the coffee down for Abby and pulling her into her arms.

"Aren't I supposed to be saying that to you?" She said, crying.

Felix chuckled, "I'm easy to comfort. A big hug always helps." They stayed like that for a few moments, just hugging and sniffling together.

"Don't you ever listen?" Gibbs said from behind them.

"Yessir, I do." Felix said, letting go of Abby and wiping her tears away. She walked over to Gibbs in the doorway, "Like it?"

He sipped, smiling, "Just like jet fuel."

She laughed, "Perfect for you."

He smiled at her, "Yes ma'am." He walked her to the elevator and escorted her inside. Felix was quiet, but he could tell her mind was buzzing. He leaned over and turned the elevator off.

"Wha-?" She started, but he grabbed her and kissed her intensely. Felix melted into his arms and returned the kiss ecstatically. He pulled back and she smiled, "Wow."

"You don't have to do this." Gibbs said seriously.

She reached up and touched his face, "Yes I do. I'm the only one that can talk about Jamison. No one else knows _anything_ about him." She reached over and flipped the switch. He nodded and separated himself from her.

The doors opened and they walked down the corridor to an interrogation room. Before they walked in, Gibbs stopped her again. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," She said without hesitation, "I'm sure."

He placed his hand on her lower back, "I need to warn you, the FBI is officially involved. Fornell is in there and he smells blood."

Felix smiled up at him, "Trust me, the FBI is the least of my fears." She said and opened the door, letting Gibbs escort her in there.

"Gibbs." Fornell nodded, "Have a seat Special Agent Rainier."

Felix nodded and went to the seat, Gibbs sitting across from her, with Fornell, "Please, call me Felix."

Fornell nodded, "Gibbs I didn't think we planned to have you in here for this interrogation."

Gibbs looked grave, "Is this an interrogation? Because I can get her a lawyer." He smiled wickedly, "I thought this was just an interview."

Fornell chuckled, "Have it your way." He said, raising his hands in mock surrender. Gibbs kept an eye on Felix, who sat perfectly still, with perfect posture, and a soft smile on her face. He could only just notice the pain behind her eyes, but she was really good at hiding it. "How did you know Jamison Huskins?"

"Jamison Huskins was a member of my unit. We served together in the Marine Corps for approximately ten years." Felix said. "He was also a close friend of mine."

"And your brother's?" Fornell added. Gibbs looked over to Felix, who did not look at him.

Felix bit down on her lip, her facade crumbling for a moment, "Yes. He was my brother's spotter."

"To clarify, Huskins was your brother Peter Rainier, a Marine Corps sniper's, spotter?" Fornell asked.

Felix went blank again, "Yes." Gibbs's mind was reeling, Felix has a brother who was a Marine Corps sniper.

"Where did you serve with Huskins?" Fornell asked.

"I'm not allowed to discuss our previous...missions." Felix said. "They were highly classified."

Fornell chuckled, "I'm a Senior Agent of the FBI, I practically created _classified_."

Felix chuckled back, "Marine Corps classified, Agent Fornell. Not FBI classified."

Fornell flexed his jaw, "I could get a court order."

Felix smiled, "I would _love_ to see you try that."

Fornell started to bristle, "This is part of a brutal murder and a missing persons investigation, do you not want to help?"

"Akina is gone?" Felix said, her sarcastic grin gone.

"She wasn't found on the property." Fornell said.

"Well, why aren't you out there looking for her!?" Felix said, her voice frantic.

"We don't know where to start because we have no information on him." Fornell replied.

Felix sighed, her face in her hands, "I haven't spoken to Jamison for four years."

"Not since your brother died?" Fornell asked.

Gibbs mentally corrected himself, Felix _had_ a brother.

"No, not since my brother died." Felix said, her voice strained. "I didn't even know he had moved to Virginia."

"He was transferred to Quantico about a year ago." Fornell said.

"I wish I would have known. I would have visited him." She said sadly.

"Well, where were you on Sunday night?" Fornell asked.

Felix started to panic, Gibbs still as stone sat across from her, she took a deep breath and shoved the fear back down, "I was at home."

"Around nine p.m.?" Fornell asked.

_Oh thank God_, she thought, "I was watching a movie with my team."

"What movie?" Fornell asked.

"_Taken._" Felix said, glaring up at Fornell.

"Well, thats only about two hours long. We have a time of death from about ten to midnight." Fornell said.

Felix grit her teeth against the tears, "Why would I kill one of the members of my unit, especially the one that was my friend?"

Fornell shrugged, "Can you or anyone else corroborate that you and he were close?"

Felix swallowed hard, "No."

"Why's that?" Fornell asked, even Gibbs was getting agitated.

"Because I'm the only one of my unit left." Felix spat.

"In Virginia? California? The United States?" Fornell said, sounding indignant.

"_Alive._" Felix said acidly.

Fornell was quiet for a few moments, "But you have a few hours Sunday night that were unaccounted for?"

Felix shook her head, she wasn't about to reveal that she spent the night fucking her boss's brains out, so she just stayed quiet, "You can ask my team, they were with me until close to midnight. I didn't look at my watch. I didn't think I'd need an alibi."

Fornell scoffed, "You didn't thi-,"

"She was with me until late Sunday night." Gibbs said so suddenly that Felix and Fornell's heads snapped to him, as if they suddenly remembered he was there.

"Was she?" Fornell scoffed. "And what were you doing?"

Gibbs smiled, "Fornell, you know I don't have to tell you that. My team and I helped her move into her new place on Sunday. I was there late helping her set things up."

"In her bedroom?" Fornell smiled.

Felix shot out her chair, "_Excuse_ me?" She growled, "How dare you insinuate that me and my superior officer have some sort of _affair_ going on!"

Fornell put up his hands in surrender, chuckling, "I wouldn't dare. Mostly because you are far too young and pretty to be attracted to Gibbs here," Gibbs chuckled at the comment, "Plus you don't have red hair." He shrugged. "Back to your unit -,"

Suddenly the door to the interrogation room opened and some member of Fornell's team poked his head in, "Excuse me Special Agent Fornell?"

Fornell looked at him, absolutely astonished, rage painted on his features, "What?" He growled.

"Sir we have a problem. May I speak to you?" He said, nervously. Fornell just nodded, he walked out, motioning for Gibbs to follow.

Felix sat in the room by herself, staring at her reflection, dark memories stirring in her mind, prickling at her tear ducts. The last thing she'd do is cry in front of Fornell and Gibbs, especially in an interrogation. Idle thoughts of her brother, Peter, swam in her mind. She missed him so much.

The door opened and Fornell came in with an angry look on his face, Gibbs followed and he was grinning but only slightly.

"Looks like you lied to us." Fornell growled.

"What? Everything I've said is tru-,"

"Your commanding officer. A Captain Malachi Greggor is alive and well." Fornell growled. Gibbs noticed that Felix absolutely froze at the mention of the name. Her eyes clouded over and he noticed her hand was shaking until she hid them under the table.

"I meant my unit. My captain doesn't count." She said quietly.

"Well, it also looks like your commanding officer has some very powerful friends." Fornell said. "You're free to go and we cant use anything in this _interview."_

Felix nodded and stood up. She left the interrogation room without saying a word to anyone. She made a beeline to the elevator and pressed the button for the squad room. She kept her finger on the _close door_ button, praying that Gibbs wouldn't make it in because he was now talking to Fornell.

After thoroughly chewing out Fornell, Gibbs exited the interrogation room looking for Felix. He saw her in the elevator pressing a button and tried to make his way over. The doors closed before he could make it to her. Just before they shut, he saw a tear escape her cold eyes.

In the elevator, Felix flipped the off switch and leaned up against the wall. She was having a panic attack, desperately gasping for breath as tears flowed down her pale cheeks. She slid down the wall, in the corner of the elevator and folded her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She was sobbing now, she felt as if someone was holding her heart and throat in an ice cold vice-like grip. She couldn't calm herself fast enough and she was getting light headed.

_Calm down_. A voice inside her head told her. _No one will hurt you. You'll be okay._ It said again. The voice calmed her immensely. Her heart started beating normally and it was easier to breathe. She unfolded herself, taking deep breaths and looking up at the dark ceiling of the elevator.

Felix was by no means schizophrenic. Since her brother died four years ago, she had often heard his voice talking to her in times of intense stress or pain. It may have been strange for most people, which is why she never told anyone, but they had always been able to communicate without talking. Being twins did that to some people.

She pulled her emergency make up out of her purse and reapplied to cover up the tears' paths and get the mascara off of her face. She stood up, took a few more deep breaths, and flipped the elevator back on. When it opened on the squad room floor, Gibbs was standing there, pacing, his hands on his hips.

He stopped and looked up at her with such an intense look of concern that she almost started crying again. She just smiled softly and walked out to him.

"You okay?" He said in his cold tone. She simply nodded and he guided her back to their cubicle of desks. She sat down and started rifling through her papers, completely silent. The rest of the team buzzed around her, but she kept to herself, desperately trying to control her emotions. She opened an IM to Abby.

"Hey." Felix said.

"Hey!" Abby said with a smiley face, which indeed made Felix smile.

"I need to do something tonight. Want to come with me?" She asked.

"Absolutely!" Abby responded, "What time?"

"After work? Around seven, unless something comes up?" Felix typed.

Abby put a winking smiley face, "Absolutely."

"Awesome. Thanks." Felix typed out and then closed the IM box.

----------

"Aren't you supposed to get drunk _before_ you get tattoos?" Abby said, sipping her beer.

Felix waved at the bar tender for another shot, "I get drunk afterwards, the physical pain is much easier to handle compared to the emotional pain."

Abby nodded, slightly drunk, "Yeah, I can understand that." Abby said, looking at Felix who took another shot. "Another one?"

Felix nodded, not even flinching at her seventh shot. "Yep." She said, waving again. "I take a shot for every one of the men in my unit that I've lost." Shot number eight.

"How many?" Abby asked quietly.

"Ten." Felix said, "Twelve now." She said, thinking of Jamison and his daughter Akina.

"Jesus." Abby said astonished, "What do you drink?"

"Bacardi 151." Felix responded.

"Twelve shots of Bacardi 151?" Abby said shocked, "Shouldn't you be in a coma?"

Felix smiled, the first time in a few hours, "I _should_ be, but I'm not." She wanted to itch at her thigh. That was where she had added onto the tattoo.

She'd gotten a tattoo for the first man her unit lost: her brother. It was a chain around her thigh with the rank, last name, and serial number of her fallen brothers. All of the men in her unit had taken part in the tradition, but she was the only one with the longest list on her leg, the black names wrapping around her thigh twice, now complete with Jamison's rank and serial number, plus Akina's name and birthday.

"Do you have any happy tattoos?" Abby asked, she had gotten a tattoo of the drawing Kate had done for her on her inner wrist.

Felix nodded, "The wolf on my side." She smiled, "My brother had the same, opposing tattoo on his side."

"That's good." Abby said rubbing her wrist, "Its always good to have something to remember them by."

Felix nodded and put an arm around Abby and hugged her. "I'm sorry you lost Kate."

Abby nodded, "I'm sorry about your brother."

They cuddled for a few moments, consoling each other with the strength of their hugs.

"I want to take shots with you!" Abby said, suddenly adamant, "To honor the ones that we've lost! I'll take the next four with you."

Felix shook her head, "Abby, I do this just about every day. My tolerance is ironclad. I'm not so sure about you. You're already almost drunk."

Abby scowled, "The main point of that sentence is _almost_. I'm not drunk yet." Abby giggled.

"Sure you're not." Felix smiled, "I just like having someone to drink with. Only four more shots to finish the twelve and then we'll go home."

"That's an expensive tab." Someone said from behind them and Felix knew who it was.

"Gibbs!" Abby yelled turning and throwing her arms around him. "Have a shot!"

Felix and Gibbs smiled, "Abbs, I should get you home." Gibbs said.

"No!" Abby protested. "I'm fine!"

Gibbs just chuckled, "Come on Abbs." He said, grabbing her arm and pulling her up off her stool. He turned to Felix and said, "Stay."

"Felix!" Abby said, "Tell him I'm fine!"

Felix smiled, "Abby, I couldn't even begin to _try_ to fight off Gibbs after eight shots."

"FEEEEEELLLLIIIIIIX!" Abby whined as Gibbs drug her out the door. Felix just chuckled and went back to her drinks. She asked for her four more shots and waited for Gibbs to return. She had avoided him the entire day, she figured he'd corner her at some point.

Gibbs returned after taking Abby home and helping her get into bed. The alcohol hit her a little harder than she expected, but thankfully she didn't feel too sick, just a little _hink_yas she liked to put it.

He parked his car and was making his way to the entrance of the bar when he saw a very large man cornering a very small woman to the side of the bar. He walked his silent way up to them and realized it was Felix. The man she was speaking to was around 6'5" and solid. His shoulders were wide and his waist was trim, he was dressed simply, in all black, and something about him made Gibbs's skin crawl. He saw the man grab Felix's arm and she winced, cowering away from him. Gibbs had never seen Felix back down like that before.

"Hey!" Gibbs growled, walking up to them. He saw the look on Felix's face and it enraged him. She was terrified, her eyes wide and wet. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The man turned around and smiled at Gibbs. He was older, his hair shorter and grayer than Gibbs's but he was handsome, aside from the waxy appearance to his left side where he'd most likely been badly burnt at some point in his life.

"Ah, Special Agent Gibbs." The man said, still holding onto Felix who was silent and shaking. "I'm Malachi Greggor."

Gibbs didn't shake his hand, "I'd appreciate it if you let go of my agent." He snarled.

The man simply chuckled, "Yes, this is your bull dog approach isn't it? I've heard so much about you in the past few days, learning about my murdered Marine and finding my dear Felix." Gibbs realized he squeezed her wrist when she flinched at his words.

"." Gibbs said, his voice ice cold.

The man smiled, "Or what? You'll fight me?" He laughed heartily at that, "Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs. You kill men from thousands of yards away. I, however, prefer to kill men with my bare hands. You can't threaten me." He smiled.

"If you don't let go of my agent -," Gibbs started pulling out his gun.

"Gibbs..." Felix said, her voice shaking, "Please don't." Her eyes were wide with terror.

Gibbs let go of his gun, "Felix, you need to come with me."

Greggor just smiled, "I'm sorry my dear friend Gibbs," He said distastefully, "We have much to discuss. We have both lost a very important person in our unit. I need to make sure," He looked at Felix and smiled tenderly, "That my Marines are all right."

"She's no longer _your_ Marine." Gibbs growled taking a step forward. Greggor finally let go of Felix and took a step towards Gibbs. Despite Greggor's height advantage, Gibbs glared up at him without any fear. "She's my agent."

"I beg to differ." Greggor said, clenching his fists.

"I'd like to see you try." Gibbs growled and tensed for a fight.

Greggor raised his arm but Felix jumped in and grabbed it, "Please don't!" She begged meekly, tugging at his arm like a child. She managed to pull him back and step between them, her hands on Greggor's chest, which made Gibbs's gut turn over. She turned back to Gibbs, her fear turned into anger, "Gibbs, please. This is my private affair. I'd appreciate it if you left." She said coldly. Gibbs's level of rage multiplied and he glared at Greggor who was grinning behind Felix. Felix stepped forward, trying to place her hands on Gibbs's chest, but he just stepped back. Her head dropped, and without looking at him she said, "Please?"

Gibbs felt a growl coming on. He wanted to grab her and shake her our of whatever funk she was in. "Fine, but I want you to report in tonight." He growled.

She looked up at him, a tear fell down her cheek, "Yea boss." She turned and walked back to Greggor who was now smiling wide. He put an arm around Felix's childlike frame.

"Goodnight Special Agent Gibbs." Greggor smiled and left, with Felix under his arm.

Gibbs raced back to his car and kicked at it, hard. He called up McGee, who was at home and playing video games.

"Uh, McGee. What's going on boss?" He said into the phone.

Gibbs was fuming, "I need you to get me information."

"I'm at home sir, I don't have acc-,"

"MCGEE." Gibbs said seriously, "I don't care how you get it, I need information."

"Yes boss." McGee said, and you could hear him starting to type furiously, "What do you need?"

"Captain Malachi Greggor." He growled, "I want _everything_." And he hung up.

He got into his car and drove to his house, seething. He stripped down and vigorously worked on his boat for about three hours, drinking about half a bottle of bourbon, but he sweat most of it out anyway. The work was helping with the concentrated physical energy, but it wasn't doing much to calm his mind, which could easily whip him into a frenzy.

He picked up his phone and called McGee. "McGee." He responded.

"Anything?"

McGee cleared his throat, like he always did when he was about to tell someone something they didn't want to hear. "Um, I'm having trouble pulling things up boss. This guy has a really high clearance level."

"So crack it." Gibbs growled into the phone.

"Sir, I'd have to break into the CIA main frame..." He said, clearing his throat, "And I really don't want to do that again, especially from my home computer."

Gibbs cursed, "All right." He said and shut his phone. He was about to go back to work when his phone started buzzing.

It was Felix.

"Yea, Gibbs." He said anxiously.

He could hear her sniffling over the line, "Hi Gibbs." She said, her voice sounding slightly nasally, "I know this is inappropriate," She was trying to keep her voice from breaking, "But I would really like to not be alone tonight."

"Fifteen minutes." He said.

"Doors unlocked." She said quietly.

"Leave it locked, I have a key."

He could hear the smile in her voice, "Oh and who gave you permission to make that key?"

He smiled faintly, "I don't need permission." There was just silence on the line. "Felix?"

She was quiet for a few moments, so quiet he thought that she had hung up, "Hurry, please." She said weakly.

Gibbs hung up and grabbed his jacket and walked the few miles to Felix's house. When he got there, he saw that every light in the house was on. He walked to the front door and pulled out his keys, but Felix opened the door and lunged at him so suddenly that he was almost knocked over. He wrapped his arms around her and felt that her hair was wet as if she'd just showered.

"I'm sorry." She said, almost imperceptibly.

"Let's get inside." He said softly and took her inside.

She walked the short way to her bedroom and sat down on her bed, curling into herself. She looked so pitiful and Gibbs had a hard time trying to control his urge to smack her out of it.

"Where's Dexter?" Gibbs asked.

"Bathroom." She simply said. Gibbs walked over to the bathroom door and opened it and Dexter lunged out, growling and snarling. He smelled Gibbs and relaxed and then ran around the house, sniffing and growling.

"Why was he locked in the bathroom?" Gibbs asked, still standing beside her bed.

"I had to."

"Had to what?" Gibbs said more urgently.

"I had to lock him up so he wouldn't..." She gulped, her face hidden in her arms.

Gibbs climbed onto the bed and grabbed her shoulders, "Felix _what_ happened?" He growled, furious that his head strong intelligent agent was behaving like a beaten baby bird. She looked up at him and he saw that her lip was slightly puffy and her cheek was red.

Her lip trembled, "So he wouldn't get hurt."

Gibbs was staring at her in disbelief, he shook her roughly, "What happened?" He demanded. "What did he do to you?"

Her lip trembled and her eyes pooled with tears, she hid her face in her arms again, "Just what he always does." She whimpered softly.

Gibbs grabbed Felix and pulled her to him, making her unfold and face him. He ran his fingers over her lip and cheek, "What did he do?" He said softly.

Felix took a deep breath, "Nothing." She shook her head. "This was mistake, I'm sorry I called you."

Gibbs grabbed her chin, roughly, but not enough to hurt and made her look into his eyes, "Don't apologize, its a sign of weakness." He growled at her distastefully.

Felix tore her face from his hands, "Don't tell _me_ what my weakness is!"

"Evidently its men you work with. Am I number two to that piece of shit?" He growled.

Her fist shot out at him, but it was an uncontrolled punch, he blocked it easily, grabbing her hands, "Thats none of your fucking business!" She snarled, trying to rip her arms away from him. Dexter came back into the room and sat by the bed. He growled at Gibbs who shot him a glare and Dexter's ears folded and he whimpered at them. Like a child begging mommy and daddy to stop fighting.

"It is my business if my agent cant fucking control herself!" He growled, "I will not have you jeopardize my team!"

She tried to shake him off again, "You think I _wanted_ this?" She finally managed to push him off and crawled off the bed and away from him. She leaned hard up against the wall and he followed her.

"This isn't the first time you've slept with a superior officer." Gibbs growled.

She turned sharply, "You fucking _moron_! You have _NO_ idea what the fuck you're talking about!" She growled and lunged at him. He turned her and pinned her down on the bed.

"Then explain it to me." He growled searching her eyes for some sense of sanity. "I'm not risking the lives of my team for some loose cannon of an agent." He said gravely.

Felix pushed up against him, fighting desperately, but he held tight. Her frantic fighting was easier to control than when she focused her energy on a strategic fight. She was easily controlled when her emotions were exposed. "I'm _not_ a loose cannon!"

"Then show me!" He growled, "Talk to me God dammit!" He shouted, inches from her face.

She finally relaxed, taking deep breaths and Gibbs let her go. He stood up and she crawled back onto the bed, leaning against the headboard. Dexter jumped up next to her and whimpered as he curled around her.

She looked up at Gibbs and exhaled a shaky breath. "I'm so-," She chuckled, "Never mind."

"Tell me." He said coldly, standing at the side of her bed.

She hid her face for a few more moments, but Gibbs could see she was fighting for control and winning. She lifted her head and her face was perfectly composed. "Greggor was the Captain of my unit. He was smart, strong, and one hell of a leader" She said quietly. "We went to a lot of places where human beings shouldn't be, let alone a small, pretty girl. I was only twenty two went I started in Special Ops. Peter," She said hesitantly, "My brother, my twin, and I got put on the same team. He was the sniper, Jamison, his spotter. I was a profiler and I dealt with biochemical ware fare threats. Peter died under," She paused, swallowing hard as Gibbs stared at her coldly, "_Strange_ circumstances. I think he was sold out to our enemies and he was killed." She looked up at Gibbs, her eyes red rimmed with tears, "Him and I were very close. Needless to say when I found out who killed him, I lost control and got my revenge. Quite brutally." She paused, petting Dexter and trying to calm his nerves as well as her own. Gibbs sat on the bed, not looking at her, seeing too much of himself in her eyes, "Greggor cultivated aggression, brutality, and sadism. We needed to be mechanically efficient in how we took care of our _business_." She said distastefully.

"When my brother died, I lost my guardian." She lowered her head, "I was the only female in my unit and the surrounding units, the only _beautiful_ female within a ten mile radius, the only beautiful _disease free_ female in the entire country." She said softly, "Jamison, plus some of the other men in my unit, tried to protect me. They thought of me like a sister. But some of the men in the surrounding units, they tried to-," She paused again, swallowing hard, "They didn't think of me like that. I was a piece of meat." Her voice hardened, "Until Greggor laid down some rules. In exchange for protection from some of my own _brothers_ and the men that they tried to _sell_ me to for information, he would _use_ me according to his needs."

Gibbs looked at her with shock and rage emanating from his entire body. He was buzzing to get his hands around Greggor's neck and squeeze slowly until his eyes burst from the sockets. He crawled closer to Felix, who was curled into herself again, anger in her eyes, which were staring at nothing. Gibbs tried to put an arm around her but she flinched.

"Its okay. I'm not going to hurt you." He said and put his arm around her and she melted into him. He kissed her softly on the head and she started to cry.

"I hate being weak." She sobbed. He held her tighter.

"You're not weak." He said and she scoffed.

"My entire life was based upon being strong. My father bred me in a particular way so I would not be taken advantage of. My brother would have killed to protect my virtue. Yet I cant even do them the honor of saying _no_." She sobbed.

He pulled back and made her look at him, "That is not your fault. You did what you needed to do to survive." Gibbs said strongly, "This isn't _your_ fault. This is _their_ fault. Greggor took advantage of a scared and grieving woman for his own personal needs." Felix's face crumpled in despair, "FELIX!" Gibbs growled, "You're not the broken one. _He_ is." He grabbed her face again, feeling the tears fall down her cheeks and onto his fingers, "If he _ever_ comes near you again, I will personally handle it."

"Why is he the only one that can break me like this?" She said softly.

Gibbs pulled her close to him, "Because he's a manipulative, evil son of a bitch and I wont let him touch you again."

"I said no promises Gibbs. This is my battle." She said meekly into his chest.

He grabbed her chin again, "No one fucks with my team and gets away with it. I refuse to lose you to him. He wants you to break for him. I need you to be strong. I need _you_ to be you."

"For your team?" She smiled weakly.

Gibbs shook his head, "No. For your own sake." He said, his hand moving to cradle the side of her face. "I'm saying this because I care about you as a member of my team and a person I-," He swallowed, having a hard time saying the words, "I care about, if he ever comes around you again, you tell me and I'll handle it."

"I feel like such a little bitch." She said dejectedly.

Gibbs ran his fingers through her hair, "You're not. Some battles we can't fight alone."

She smiled at him, "I just don't want people to be involved."

He nodded, "No one will be involved." He said truthfully, "But the second that man threatens the well-being of my team, I will not sleep until he's gone. You're one of us now and we will protect you. I will protect you." He said.

Felix felt her heart skip a beat, no one had said that to her since her brother, and she felt the wavering trust she had for Gibbs solidify. She melted into his arms and he held her tighter, kissing the top of her head.

"Felix you _are_ stronger than this. He took advantage of a scared and lonely girl." Gibbs said quietly, "You aren't that girl anymore. You are strong, intelligent, and quite the smart ass," She chuckled, "You aren't her anymore. You're much more. You're a sister to McGee and DiNozzo, you're Abby's closest friend, you're an open ear to Ducky," She laughed, "And you're something to me." He said softly.

She looked up at him, smiling, her eyes finally clear, "I know." She said and lifted her lips to his, kissing him softly. His fingers tangled in her hair and intensified the kiss as she molded to him, moaning softly. She pulled back and sighed, "I don't know if I can do this. I feel..." She looked down at herself, "Soiled."

Gibbs smiled at her and kissed her softly, "I'm here, ready and willing, whenever you're ready."

She smiled and kissed his lips sweetly. He brushed the stray strands of hair from her face and smiled. She nodded, "You'll be the first to know."

He chuckled, "Damn straight." He pushed Dexter off of the bed and he glared at Gibbs from the ground. "Lets get some sleep." He said, pulling down the covers and helping her lay down and get comfortable. Once she laid down he curled himself behind her, pulling her close to him and inhaling her sweet rose scent. He kissed her shoulder, "Good night Felix."

Her breathing was heavy so he thought she may have fallen asleep, but finally, she muttered, absolutely exhausted, "Goodnight Jethro."

----------

DiNozzo sat across from McGee at their desks, staring at each other speculatively.

"You notice that Gibbs is smiling a lot more lately?" DiNozzo asked, using one of those wrist exersizers.

McGee rose an eyebrow, "Uh, yeah, why?"

DiNozzo leaned forward in his chair, smiling at McGee, "You think he's getting some action?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"No." McGee said quickly, "I see absolutely nothing."

"Come on McObvious, he's smiling. Gibbs doesn't _smile_. He only leers or grins." Tony said indignantly. "Did you see the way Felix kissed him?"

McGee chuckled, "She kissed all of us like that. Even Abby." He smiled. Tony and him took a moment of silence to appreciate the thought.

"Anyway," DiNozzo said, shaking away the fantasy, "You have to think _something_ is going right with him."

McGee looked over at DiNozzo and shook his head, "Tony, I do not want to speculate what Gibbs does in his spare time - with or without a woman."

DiNozzo chuckled, "He drinks bourbon and builds boats. I was pretty sure he was asexual until Felix kissed him."

McGee shook his head again, chuckling softly, "He has been married."

"Three unsuccessful times." DiNozzo chuckled, "I mean what's wrong with going after a younger girl? He's an attractive guy." He shrugged.

"What about that redhead?" McGee asked.

"She's been gone for a while. He dated the Lieutenant Colonel more recently." DiNozzo said.

"Yeah and she disappeared." McGee mumbled, "I'll have to edit that out of my book."

DiNozzo stared at him, "What do you think happened with that? Alien abduction?" He looked around, "I have a feeling she wasn't human. Pretty blonde woman like that always hidden in those fatigues. Its a damn shame." He shook his head.

"And we call Abby weird." McGee shook his head reproachfully.

"Call me what?" Abby smiled, coming around the corner.

"Uh, the most beautiful, talented woman I've ever met." McGee smiled widely. Abby perched on his desk and pinched his cheek playfully.

"Why thank you Timothy." She smiled wide. "What are we talking about?"

"Speculating on whether Gibbs has gotten some lately. He seems awfully chipper." DiNozzo said.

Abby shrugged, "I try not to think of Gibbs as a sexual being. He's like _Ameoba proteus_." Tony and McGee just shot her questioning looks. "Its a eukaryote." Their eyes glazed over, "Its a single celled asexual organism!" She said, exasperated. They nodded their heads, as if they understood.

"See thats what I said." Tony smiled, "But," He chuckled sinisterly, "I think there is something going on between Felix and the boss."

Abby just shrugged, "I doubt it. I think they just realize they have a lot in common. Marine Corps, loved ones murdered, NCIS, intense battle training, severe injuries."

Tony grimaced, "Yeah picture perfect love story." Abby and McGee just laughed at him. "Hm, I wonder what Felix is like in bed..." He said thoughtfully.

THWACK!

"Jesus!" Tony yelled grabbing the back of his head, "Where did you even come from!?"

"My host cell." Gibbs said as he walked into the cubicle.

Tony rose an eyebrow at what Gibbs had in his hand, "What's that boss? An overnight bag?" He smiled in his sleazy way, winking at Abby and McGee who just rolled their eyes at him.

Gibbs glared at him and tossed him the bag. DiNozzo knew the bag. He _hated_ that bag.

"Time for some boxing." Gibbs smiled. Tony grumbled his assent and McGee followed. "You wont get to know how she's like in bed DiNozzo, but you can find out how she is in the ring."

Felix was in the gym already, listening to her music and waiting for the team. She'd warmed up a little on the treadmill and was now performing some of her more complex yoga moves in order to get a good stretch in before sparring.

She had her feet about two feet apart, her back was straight and she was bent forward, her forehead touching the floor as she flexed her legs, stretching the tense muscles. Her breathing was steady, her eyes were closed and she let the hum of her workout music guide her into a relaxed state. She was focusing on releasing the tension in her hamstrings...Not the ever growing group of male agents behind her in awe.

DiNozzo and McGee were out of the locker room before Gibbs. They saw the group of male agents and like lemmings walked over to check out what everyone was staring at. They cleared the mob, making their way to the front and saw Felix stretching.

"Damn." DiNozzo and McGee said at the same time, then looked at each other in astonishment.

Just then, Felix, with her head already on the ground, placed her forearms on the ground, lacing her fingers behind her head. She transferred the weight on soles of her feet slowly to her arms and head. She lifted her legs slowly and gracefully into the air forming a V. She exhaled deeply and then slowly dropped her flexed feet so that her body made an exaggerated T.

There was a unanimous intake of breath and adjustments made in the male observers. The loudest from Tony.

Thats when Gibbs walked out of the locker room. He saw the crowd and walked around them to see what they were watching. Thats when he saw Felix, doing a head stand and splits at the same time, in a pair of painted on shorts and a tank top. He felt a familiar stirring in his stomach and took a few seconds to appreciate the strength of her small body. Thats when he realized he wasn't the only one appreciating. One guy pulled out his cell phone to take a picture.

Gibbs let out a sharp and amazingly loud whistle which cause every male agent in the vicinity to scatter like cockroaches when the lights turn on. Except of course for DiNozzo and McGee.

DiNozzo dropped to his hands and knees and crawled excitedly over to Felix, "How are you doing that?" He said, staring at her muscular stomach and legs as she held the position.

Felix opened her eyes and smiled, "Hey Tony!"

"How do you do that?" He said frantically.

"Well, Tony," She smiled, still upside down, "This is called Yoga." Felix smiled and lowered her feet to the ground and stood up slowly, Tony following.

"You're teaching us yoga, but I've never seen you do that." He said excitedly.

"Tony, I just started teaching you guys yoga like a month ago. You're really doing well, but I've been doing yoga since college. This takes a lot of practice." She smiled.

"We can practice together." He said jokingly and she hit his arm.

"You teach them yoga in _that_?" Gibbs said, pointing to her outfit.

"Hi Gibbs." She smiled, adjusting her tank top.

"Felix, what are you wearing?" Gibbs asked.

"Its called work out clothes." She said sweetly.

He rolled his eyes, "Those aren't work out clothes," He said gravely, "These-," He tugged at his old Marine Corps shirt and pair of basketball shorts, "Are work out clothes."

She smiled wryly, "For a man, maybe." She walked over to DiNozzo and put her hand on his shoulder while she used him as an anchor for another very erotic pose - of course, a woman wearing skin tight clothes sitting at McDonald's is erotic for a man. "But," She smiled, standing up straight as DiNozzo watched how flexible she could be, "I really need a wider range of motion from my work out clothes." Gibbs did not look amused. "Its not like I'm wearing a thong and pasties." She growled, clenching her fists.

"You're lucky you're a girl." Gibbs growled jokingly, "DiNozzo! In the ring."

DiNozzo stomped his foot, "Dammit!" He looked at Felix and pinched the back of her upper arm, "You ruin everything!"

"OW!" She screeched and started to go after him but Gibbs called her.

"Come help me wrap up." He said. Felix nodded and walked over to Gibbs and started taping up his hands. When they were out of ear shot, Gibbs said, "So are you always gonna pull shit like this?"

"Shit like what?" She said acidly. She finished one hand and then Felix just shrugged, "If everything must turn into a pissing contest, then yes, I will." She said sternly, "As my boss I will follow your every command. I will never cease to work hard. You're a great leader Gibbs." She said softly, "But, just because I may be sleeping with you doesn't mean you get to tell me who to be." She said while finishing his other wrist. She grabbed his gloves about to help him slide them on, but he took his wrapped hand and softly nudged her chin.

"Good to hear that Felix." He smiled. She smiled back as he climbed in the ring.

"Sorry DiNozzo!" Felix yelled, "If I let you feel me up a little will I be forgiven?"

DiNozzo looked at her, smiling wide and then he looked to Gibbs who was not smiling at all. They started boxing and it was an interesting comparison. DiNozzo had the flare and the talent to box. He was strong and fluid and had a great frame, plus he was quick. He could dance circles around Gibbs. However, Gibbs was an entirely different fighter. He was bred to destroy, not to box. They sparred for a few moments and Felix felt herself getting unnaturally aroused watching the two of them fight. Her mind wandered for a few moments, idly thinking about Gibbs and DiNozzo. She wondered if Gibbs would be down for a threesome. Tony definitely would. But Gibbs...He didn't seem like the sharing type.

"Do I get anything special if I beat the old man?" Someone said behind her.

Felix turned and saw a very tall, handsome agent, in pristine work out clothes. She _hated_ people who wore brand new fifty dollar running pants to the gym, it just screamed "fake." Almost as much as his fake-n-bake tan. Felix looked up at Gibbs who was teasing DiNozzo and trying to tire him out. "I think the old man might be losing some steam." She smiled. "But I'll fight you."

"Oh yeah?" He smiled, siding up closer to her. His 6'2" frame towering over her. "You can box?"

She nodded, "A little."

"I'm Matthais" he smiled.

"Felix." She replied, having a hard time keeping her eyes off Gibbs. He was so _predatory_. It was like erotica for her.

"What do I get if I win?" He smiled.

"Huh?" She was still watching Gibbs, paying minimal attention to the man talking to her. "Oh. What do you want?"

He chuckled, "I like that." He smiled, "How about I get to take you out for a drink?"

Felix smiled, "And if I win?"

He stepped closer, he even smelled clean, it ruined the ambiance, "What do you want?"

She smiled and looked at him, "One hundred dollars. Seems like a man like you could spare that." She winked and looked back up at Gibbs who threw a distractor punch that got Tony to dodge, but also fall off balance. Gibbs grabbed him and threw him down, pressing his knee into Tony's throat.

"You win!" Tony rasped and patted Gibbs's leg.

"Hey Gibbs!" Felix yelled, "Stop kicking the shit out of Tony and let me have the ring!"

Gibbs smiled and nodded to McGee, "Help him outta here." Gibbs bit off his gloves and slid off his helmet and handed them off to Felix. "Can you handle this?" Felix climbed in without responding and the man just laughed, "Hey!" Gibbs growled.

"Me?" Matthais asked.

Gibbs nodded, chuckling, "Yeah, you."

Matthais scoffed, "Of course. Look at her." He smiled at Gibbs as Felix climbed into the ring. "She's a sweet little thing."

Gibbs chuckled, "Is that what you think?" He smiled and just walked away.

Matthias climbed into the ring with Felix and Gibbs whistled to start the fight. Felix approached Matthais slowly, her arms up and her elbows in. Matthais grinned as he walked closer, his hands up in an unimpressive defense. He threw a punch that Felix easily dodged, smiling at him sweetly. He threw a few more punches that she deftly avoided. He was starting to get annoyed.

Felix threw a quick jab and hit him square in the jaw. When his head snapped back into position, he was glaring at her with a split lip. Felix just smiled at him slyly as he spit some blood.

"What the fuck?" He growled.

"Kick the shit out of him Felix!" Someone, who sounded like DiNozzo, yelled. She just smiled.

Matthais moved in closer and started throwing uncontrolled and angry punches. Felix dodged them quickly and threw a few more jabs to his face. He was starting to sweat and the blood from his lip was dripping onto his fancy work out clothes.

"Fuck this." He growled and lunged for Felix.

She didn't expect the attack because you just didn't do that in a civil boxing match. He lifted her easily off the ground and threw her down on her back. The air whooshed out of Felix's lungs and she felt blood in her stinging mouth - she bit her cheek.

There were a couple of outraged cries but Gibbs silenced them with a look. DiNozzo tried to crawl into the ring to help, but Gibbs just put up a hand, watching Felix regain her breathing pattern.

She stood up slowly, absolutely seething. She spit the blood that was now pooling in her mouth and looked over to Gibbs. He simply nodded, so Felix took two steps towards Matthais, with blood trickling down her chin.

"Thats a shame, I really didn't want to harm that pretty face - I had plans for that face." He smiled wickedly.

Felix grit her teeth and got in close, throwing a soft jab that Matthais dodged. His next move was to knock her out, but before his elbow was even completely extended, Felix dodged the blow and punched him so hard and so fast that his head barely had time to readjust and people heard his teeth cracking from ten feet away.

Before his chin could properly reposition itself Felix threw her last punch, and upper cut with every inch of her body behind it. His head snapped back with the drastic hit, his body went rigid and the lights went out. He fell, stiff as a board, onto his back.

Felix walked over to his unconscious body and glared at him. She spit her blood all over his brand new pants and walked out of the ring, trying to bite off her gloves. Gibbs helped her down.

"You all right?" He asked.

She spit blood again, "Fucking peachy." She growled, watching as men crawled into the ring with smelling salts to awaken the sleeping giant. "What a prick."

Gibbs chuckled, "Yes. Yes he is." Felix just chuckled. "Beautiful hits, Felix."

She nodded and spat a little more blood, "Thanks." She smiled, but weakly.

"Hit the showers." He smiled, pulling off her other glove.

She smiled, the blood gone from her smile, "Care to join me?" She said softly and winked heading towards the shower. Gibbs just chuckled as she walked away.

-------

Felix made her way out to her car after a long day at work. She had reviewed all the evidence of the Macuso case as well as Jamison's case. They still didn't have any leads and it was driving Felix insane.

She was sitting at her desk, looking at photos of the crime scenes. She didn't have the slightest feeling about Macuso other than the horror of what a bloody mess it was. She had a hard time looking at Jamison's photos, so she just read his autopsy report. Macuso died because she bled out from the cuts to her major arteries, the tiny slices were superficial. Jamison's cuts were deeper than Macuso's. He was also pumped full of Coumadin, a blood thinner that hinders the body's ability to form blood clots.

Someone intentionally pumped him full of blood thinner so that when they cut him it would take a ridiculously short, but painful time for him to die. Whoever did this wanted him to suffer which in turn made her suffer. She wished she would have known Jamison was back in Virginia. She would have loved to see him and his daughter. She would have liked to talk to him again, to feel like she had someone in this world.

"Felix?"

She heard, which knocked her out of her reverie. She looked up and saw Gibbs standing at the tail end of her car. Felix looked down, keys still in hand and then back up at Gibbs.

"Hi." She smiled.

Gibbs grinned, "What are you doing?"

She shook her head, "I'm not exactly sure."

He took a few steps towards her, "How are you?"

She smiled, "Better. Not great, just better."

"All right." He nodded.

"So what are you doing tonight?" She asked.

He grinned, "I'm gonna go home and work on my boat."

She nodded, "Sounds fun." He turned to walk away. "Gibbs?" He looked over his shoulder at her. "Do you want to-," She said softly, slightly grimacing, "Could I make you dinner?"

He turned slowly, "You mean like a date?"

She blushed, "I guess. Is that weird?"

He smiled, "It depends on what you're making."

She smiled, "I was thinking about a salad." She grinned and he gave her a questioning look. She laughed, "I'm just kidding, I hate salads. How about something like fettucini alfredo, garlic bread, and a bottle of wine?"

He nodded, "Alright."

"Ok. I'll meet you there?" She smiled and he nodded, "Want to pick up a bottle of wine?"

He smiled, "Sure."

She nodded, "See you soon."

Gibbs went to the grocery store and stopped in the alcohol isle. He found the bourbon, which is what he always drank and then walked his way down to the wine section. He stared at them, a little cluelessly. There was red and white wine, he at least knew that. However there were way too many choices. He started grabbing bottles of wine and reading the backs - or at least attempting to.

Finally he found a brand that listed what the wine would go well with, so he bought two bottles of what he assumed was a dinner wine. He took it to the check out stand and his cell phone buzzed.

"Yeah, Gibbs." He said, pulling out the money for the wine.

"Hi." Felix said, she sounded nervous.

"Hi." He smiled as the grocer bagged his items. "I'm heading over right now. Just grabbed the wine."

"Did you make it yourself?" She chuckled.

He looked at his watch, he'd spent quite a while staring at the bottles, "No, I just couldn't decide what to get."

Felix smiled into her phone, "Couldn't read the labels, old man?"

He chuckled, "I'll get your for that. And quit flirting with me just because you want your booze."

She laughed, "You got me. I'm really only 17 and I've been using you this whole time to buy me cigarettes, booze, and get me into rated R movies."

"Figures." He said, "I'll be there soon."

"Okay." Felix said and he hung up.

When he got to her house she let him in and walked him into the kitchen with Dexter trotting at their heels. He took off his jacket and left it on the dining room chair, rolling up his sleeves, and going behind the counter with her. He took the bottle of wine and opened it, grabbing glasses and filling two of them up. He handed one to Felix and she took a sip.

"Wow, this is great." She smiled, "Perfect for the dinner."

He smiled, "Yea, I thought so."

She grinned, "Or at least the label did." She tapped the bottle's label.

He chuckled, "All right, you got me." He smiled. "So almost ready?" He said, sliding up behind her at the stove, "I'm hungry and that smells great." He said, kissing her neck softly.

"Thank you." She smiled, "It'll be done in just a few minutes."

"Need any help?" He said, moving his hands over her stomach and stepping closer to her.

"No I think I'll be fine." She chuckled as he kissed her neck. She placed the stirring spoon on the counter and turned in his arms.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

She nodded, exhaling, "Well, I'm definitely feeling better now." She got up on her tip toes and kissed him softly. "I'll be fine."

He smiled, "Okay." He peeked over her shoulder, "Looks ready."

She chuckled and turned, "Only two things ever on a man's mind: food and sex."

"Food first." He said, kissing her neck.

She smacked his leg with a wooden spoon and he jumped back, "Go sit down at the table, I'll bring you a plate. Take the wine."

He sat down and she scooped out a very large serving of pasta and alfredo sauce into a shallow bowl. She bent down to open her oven and pulled out the garlic bread. She picked off four pieces and put two on each plate. She carried them over to the table and placed one in front of him and took the other one to her seat.

Dexter laid at their feet while they ate in silence, sipping wine. Gibbs finished off his serving rather quickly. Felix was only about halfway through hers. He poured out some more wine and smiled at Felix, widely.

"So. A date." He said.

Felix rolled her eyes, "Is it weird?" She put her fork down, "Dammit. I didn't want this to be weird. I was trying to be...normal"

He chuckled, "No, its not weird. I just haven't done this in a long time."

Felix shrugged, "At least you have prior experience." She smiled.

"You've never been on a date?" Gibbs said.

Felix inhaled, searching her head, "Um, I went to a few dances in high school, with male friends. I've hooked up with guys before. However not very many guys wanted to hook up with me and stick with it."

Gibbs rose an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"I was the captain of the girls' varsity basketball team and in all AP courses. I didn't have much time for other things. My brother was a star football player. My father was a decorated Marine, he used to keep a loaded shot gun above the mantle, and he scared the living hell out of any potential suitors."

Gibbs chuckled, "A man after my own heart."

She smiled, "Yes, I bet." Her smile faded.

"What?"

"I just seem to always talk about myself." She sighed.

"I keep asking you questions." He said, sipping his wine.

She looked up at him, "And yet you don't answer many. Why is that?"

He looked down at his wine, "There are a lot of things I don't like remembering."

She nodded, "I can understand that." He was quiet for a long time and Felix finished her meal. She took the plates into the kitchen and set her dishes to soak in the sink. When she turned Gibbs was still sitting at the table, gazing into his wine glass. "It wont make you forget." She smiled. She walked over to him and took his hands in hers. "Want to watch a movie?"

He smiled up at her, "What movie?"

She flicked her head towards the den and started walking. Gibbs picked up the bottle of wine and his glass and brought it with them. He placed it on the coffee table and took a seat on the couch watching as Felix picked through her movie collection.

"You like musicals?" He stared at her blankly, "Awesome, I love musicals." She chuckled sarcastically and started looking for other movies. "_Point Break_?" She smiled over her shoulder, "Hmm, not a Swayze fan...Me neither...I don't like Keanu Reeves much either." She stared at it pensively. "Why do I even _have_ this movie?" Gibbs just chuckled, sipping his wine. She took another sip of wine and grabbed another movie, "How about _The Punisher_?" She said gruffly, "Ever seen it? Thomas Jane. John Travolta. Blood, guns, explosions, murdering maffia bosses. The ultimate revenge?" She smiled and he kept staring. "Ok, if you don't say _something_ I'm going to put on _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askiban_." She put down her wine glass and stared at him with her hands on her hips.

He smiled and stood up, walking over to her entertainment center. "How do you turn on music?"

She walked over and pressed a few buttons, turning on her iPod that was connected to her speaker system. She pressed play and something fast with a thumping beat and great rhythm started playing. Gibbs scrunched up his face in distaste.

"Hey, its my workout mix. I need something to keep me awake." She smiled and picked up her ipod, scrolling through a few songs. She pressed play and Gibbs heard a crowd cheering. "Dave Matthews. Its a live version. Thats why people are cheering." She said nervously as he got closer to her. "He's pretty awesome. And unfortunately, I don't know what kind of music you listen to."

He smiled, "I don't listen to music that much."

"You should," She said, inhaling his wonderful scent, "It does wonders for my thought process and energy."

He leaned in a kissed her softly, "I have other things to help with that." He leaned in again for a kiss and Felix slipped out from his arms.

"Like what?" She said, walking towards her bedroom and disappearing down the hall.

He followed her path and stopped at the doorway to the hall. Her shoes were left in the doorway and a few feet away her shirt was in a heap on the floor, a few more feet were the pants she was wearing. He smiled, following her bread crumbs into her bedroom.

She was lying in bed, the covers covering her gorgeous body and she was just smiling up at him. "Oh you're here." She smiled, rolling to her side and propping herself up on her elbow. "I was just going to send out a search party."

Gibbs smiled, "Yes, I'm here. No search party needed." He said and started to undress. She smiled and rolled onto her back, exposing her perky and round breasts. That definitely made his belly tighten, "Jesus Felix."

She chuckled softly, "If you could keep up with me old man, this problem would be solved."

"If you didn't want an old man -," He growled starting to crawl towards her.

"I'd call DiNozzo." She smiled sweetly as he climbed on top of her.

"You wouldn't dare." He smiled.

She tried not to smile, "Only if you're interested in a threesome."

He started kissing her neck, "I'm not the sharing type."

She chuckled as his lips moved down her body, "I didn't think so."


	7. Chapter 7

**-7-**

Felix woke again next to a large hairy beast instead of Gibbs. She groaned and rolled over snuggling up to the animal, "I hate men." She muttered into his fur and Dexter replied with an extended yawn-whine. He rolled over and started licking her face. She laughed, "Not exactly the kiss I expected this morning." She muttered and started to crawl out of bed. "Alright Dexter, time for a run." She smiled and Dexter shot out of bed towards the door.

When she got back to her house, she walked into the kitchen, breathing hard and went to start the coffee. She smiled when she saw that the coffee was already percolating, a mauve rose lying by the machine. She picked it up, and smelled it and sighed. She grabbed a cup out of her cabinet and filled it with water and plopped the rose in it. She hurried to her shower and got ready for work.

When she arrived at work, she doled out the coffee which everyone greedily accepted. She sat down at her desk, sighing, and started sorting threw the files on her desk and the pictures in her mind.

Felix's video chat popped open and Abby's beautiful face filled her screen, "Morning!" Abby chimed.

"Morning sunshine." Felix smiled, "What's up?"

"Nothing really, I was just wondering how long it will take you to have that house warming party." Abby smiled.

Felix sighed, "Ugh, I don't know." She said despondently.

"Come on Felix," Abby smiled, "It could be fun."

Felix grimaced, "It would be you, me, and a bottle of rum, eating chunks of George Foreman'd meat and dancing around in our chonies."

Abby looked confused, "Are you saying that _wouldn't_ be fun?"

Felix laughed, "We could do that tonight if we wanted."

"YAY!" Abby smiled, "I'll make a flyer."

"Wai-," Felix said, "Flyer? Abby why a flyer!?" She said frantically.

"Well for everyone else...Tony, McGee, Ducky, Jimmy?" Abby asked.

"Abby," Felix groaned, "I don't have a barbecue! I have George Foreman grill that fits four hamburgers, MAX, and my back yard isn't that big. And I don't know - _social events_? We don't really _hang_ out with each other outside of work."

"We hang out all the time!" Abby chuckled.

"Yeah, but thats you and me." Felix smiled.

Abby shrugged, "Well you and Gibbs are close, aren't you?" She said innocently, "Invite him."

"What?" Felix said astonished, her heart in her throat, "_Why?_ Are we gonna ask him to have a threesome with us?" She chuckled indignantly.

"You think Gibbs would go for it?" Abby smiled, wiggled her eyebrows.

"Go for what?" Gibbs said, materializing.

"AH!" Felix yelled.

"ABORT!" Abby yelled and shut off the video chat.

Gibbs grabbed Felix's chair and turned her to face him, "Go for what?" He smiled, looking deep in her eyes.

"Um," Felix said, her heart beating faster, "I'm having a house warming party." She blurted out.

"Party?" DiNozzo popped up.

Felix grit her teeth, "Shit," She whispered and Gibbs chuckled, standing up straight, "Yes. A house warming party."

McGee turned the corner, "When?"

Felix kicked her desk, wishing she could strangle Abby and her abominable timing.

"Tonight!" Abby's video chat popped up.

"I hate you!" She whispered at her monitor.

"Tonight?" McGee smiled and shrugged, "Ok."

"BYOB?" Tony asked.

"And Pot luck!" Abby yelled.

"Awesome, what am I bringing?" McGee asked.

"I'm making flyers!" Abby yelled and Felix dropped her head onto her desk. "They'll be done as soon as I can finish them!" She smiled and disconnected again.

"Shit!" Felix rasped.

Gibbs laughed as his phone rang. He opened it, "Yeah, Gibbs." He said and listened for a few seconds and then shut the phone. He looked around at his team and everyone was staring at him. "What?" He growled.

"Uh, gear up, boss?" DiNozzo said.

They were all silent as Gibbs stared at them, "Well, no shit. Let's go!" He shouted and they all jumped to attention, grabbing their shit as fast as possible. Gibbs was already walking towards the elevator.

Felix smiled and sided up to Gibbs, "Ready boss."

"Good." Gibbs smiled, Tony and McGee were trailing behind a few feet, "You get my present this morning?" He said quietly.

"Yes," She smiled, "And the others."

They got in and fell silent, smiling as the doors closed.

Another crime scene came and went. Another young female marine murdered, she had dark short hair, almost exactly like Felix's. The sight was chilling, but she gladly took the case, not letting anyone see the pain it was causing her to see another woman butchered like Jamison. This murderer was playing with them and she was getting sick of it.

"Felix?" Abby said.

Felix looked up from the crock pot of beef that was simmering, people would be showing up in about an hour and a half. "Huh?" She shook her head, "Sorry, my mind was miles away."

"The murders?" Abby asked coming around and standing next to Felix.

"Yeah, this guy..." Felix sighed, "He's screwing with us."

"You talk to Gibbs about it?"

Felix shook her head, "Its just a feeling I have. I feel like he's watching us, but we can't find him. He's manufacturing these crime scenes just to play with us."

"Hey," Abby said, stroking Felix's hair, "If there is one thing Gibbs understands its hunches."

Felix shrugged, "Maybe for himself, but he definitely expects more from his team."

Abby nodded, "That may be true, but you can trust him." Felix smiled up at her, "So?" Abby said.

Felix looked around, "So what?"

"Looks like the table is all set up with our stuff." She smiled, "What time are people coming?"

Felix checked on her phone, "About an hour an a half." She shrugged.

"So we have time?" Abby's face broke into a large grin.

"Yes." Felix smiled, the light bulb finally brightening, she grabbed her purse, "Plenty of time."

Abby giggled as she grabbed Felix's hand and they ran towards the front room.

Gibbs pulled up early with a bottle of bourbon and a six pack of Felix's favorite beer. He parked in front of her house and saw that Abby's car was the only one there. He grabbed his bag of booze and chips and got out of the car, hearing loud music coming from the house. He'd been in Abby's lab and also in Felix's car - the loud music was not surprising.

He got to the front door and unlocked it with his spare. He pushed it open and kicked it shut, the music thumping in his ears. He was walking through the hallway and turned the corner into the den and he froze.

The music was obviously coming from the den, rather, erupting from the den. He grinned softly as he watched what event required the music.

Felix and Abby were in the den dancing around - in their underwear.

Abby was wearing pink underwear with little monkey skeletons on it and a black tank top bra. Felix was wearing small lacy boy shorts with a matching push up bra, both in a deep purple that contrasted beautifully with her pale skin. Her short black hair was whipping around her smiling face while her body moved fluidly with the music. She was a great dancer and her body was gorgeous.

They were singing with the loud music but you couldn't hear their voices over it. Gibbs stood at the doorway, watching Felix intently.

She spun around, leading with her hips and saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye and stopped.

It was Gibbs.

Felix felt the bile rising in her throat. She turned to Abby and yelled at her, but Abby didn't hear her. She grabbed a pillow off of her couch and chucked it at Abby.

Abby looked up, saw Gibbs, screamed and hid behind a less clothed Felix. Felix grabbed her ipod remote and paused the song.

"Hello Gibbs." Felix waved, with Abby cowering behind her.

"Gibbs!" Abby squealed, "Turn around!"

"Its ok Abbs, Felix is currently distracting me." He smiled, raising an eyebrow. Abby dove for her clothes quickly and tugged on her pants and cover shirt. She walked up to Gibbs and grabbed his bags.

"I'll take your stuff." She said uncomfortably and ran into the kitchen with the bags.

Felix still stood there in her underwear, wringing her hands.

Gibbs smiled and walked up to her. He ran his finger along the waistband of the lace boy shorts.

She shuffled her feet, "Um," She said clearing her throat, "You like?" She smiled, her cheeks blushing bright red.

He smiled, trying to peak around the bra, "Get some clothes on before Abby comes back." Felix lunged for her things and pulled on a pair of skin tight jeans and a off the shoulder t-shirt in a dark grey. "Cute." He smiled, his finger dragging along the cowled neckline, touching her soft skin.

"Thanks." She smiled and plugged in the outside speakers, turning the music much lower. Gibbs put her hand on her lower back and guided her into the kitchen. They walked in and Abby turned sharply and snapped her phone shut.

"Anything important?" Gibbs smiled at Abby.

"Nope!" She smiled widely, "Hi Gibbs!" She said and jumped at him, wrapping her arms around him, "You're early." He just grinned. She pulled back and smiled at Felix, "DiNozzo, Ducky, Palmer, and McGee are on their way."

"Sweet." Felix smiled, "I'm gonna start drinking." She walked to the cooler and pulled out three beers and tossed them to Abby and Gibbs. "Cheers." She smiled and they all sipped companionably.

Everyone arrived there on time and started drinking promptly.

Ducky was happily sipping on his scotch, his cheeks and nose were red and he was smiling, telling his stories as no one really listened. Gibbs, DiNozzo, and McGee were playing cards, sipping their beers - Gibbs also had a bourbon. Felix and Abby sat to the side, drinking and smoking companionably.

"So," Abby smiled, beer in hand, taking minimal puffs from Felix's cigarette, "You and Gibbs?"

Felix's eyes widened and she choked on her beer, "Huh?!" She said, appalled and absolutely terrified, "What!? No!"

"Oh come on!" Abby chuckled.

"Abby I cant -,"

Abby put up her hand, "Ok, let me tell you, I'm not dumb. Plus, you may be better at keeping it under wraps, but Gibbs..." Abby took an extended puff.

"What?" Felix said, entranced by the fact that someone else was involved in her dirty little secret. That meant that it was real and she wasn't just imagining things.

"They way he looks at you." She smiled.

"Like he wants to devour me?" Felix gulped.

"Sometimes," Abby chuckled, "But other times he's _smiling_."

"The eeeevil smile?" Felix chuckled.

"No." Abby shook her head, "Its his _nice_ smile. I've only seen it once or twice."

Felix rolled her eyes, "We're a team. We're friends." She shrugged.

"He doesn't smile and Timmy or DiNozzo like that." Abby said, sipping her drink.

"We just have a lot of things in common." Felix said weakly.

"Felix..." Abby shook her head, "Felix, this is something else."

"Abby, I _really_ don't want to think about 'something else' my brain can't handle it." Felix said softly.

"Fe-," Abby started.

"FELIX!" DiNozzo yelled obnoxiously from only a few feet away.

Felix laughed and turned, "WHAT!?" She bellowed back.

"COME HERE!" He shouted.

Felix and Abby laughed, walking over to the card table and watching the group. McGee was McDrunk and DiNozzo and Gibbs were catching up, all swagger and class, winking at the pretty girls.

"What?" Felix hissed at DiNozzo, "You interrupted a very important conversation."

"About what?" DiNozzo said, distracted.

"Who can get naked the fastest." Abby smiled.

"Again?" Gibbs said, sipping his bourbon.

DiNozzo and McGee's eyebrows shot up, "Again!?" They said, astonished.

"Yes!" Abby said, frustrated. "Again." She smiled mischeviously and put her arm around Felix's waist.

"Perfect." Tony smiled, "That means its time for a drinking game." Everyone groaned. "What?"

"Where is Mr. Palmer?" Ducky finally chimed in.

Everyone looked around, "Yeah, where is he?" Gibbs asked.

"He's passed out." Tony smiled.

"And almost vomited on my shoes." Felix smiled, "Ok Tony, what game were you thinking?"

"Beer pong?"

"Are you seventeen?" Felix chuckled. "Wait, don't answer that. No, no beer pong."

"Quarters?"

"Hm," Felix said speculatively, "I could do that."

"Quarters?" McGee asked, confused.

"Everyone gets a cup in front of them and there's a middle cup in the center. If you sink the cup in front of the person, they drink it, if you sink the middle cup, you can choose anyone to drink." Felix smiled clearing off the table while Abby ran and grabbed cups.

"I'd like to escalate this tournament." Tony smiled.

"How so?" Gibbs asked.

"Everyone gets a shot glass too." He grinned.

"Aren't you driving home?" Gibbs said to DiNozzo.

"I have a spare room and a pull out couch." Felix smiled, "They're already made up." Gibbs looked up at her, "I expected we'd get shitty." Felix chuckled, everyone cheered, but Gibbs shot her a frown. She just winked, everyone would pass out till morning after this game. They both had the same thing on their minds, drinking slow, prolonging the night, and taking advantage of the fact that they'd be alone later.

"Wait, what exactly happened to Mr. Palmer?" Ducky demanded.

Tony and McGee smiled at each other, McGee started, "Well, we sort of..."

"Assisted." DiNozzo added.

"In the drinking process." McGee smiled.

"Oh dear God." Ducky murmured, "Did you check his vitals?" He looked to Nora.

"Yes, but if they weren't stable, at least he died with a smile on his face." She smiled, winking at DiNozzo and McGee.

The two went to high five and -

WHAP!

"Ow!" DiNozzo and McGee yelped, rubbing the backs of their heads.

"We're not at work boss!" DiNozzo whined.

"Yeah, you cant hit us while we're not at work." McGee griped.

"I'll stop hitting you when you stop being so dumb." Gibbs growled. Tony and McGee mumbled some lame defenses.

Abby came out of the house with the cups and Felix followed her with a tray of booze. McGee jumped up and pulled the cooler over to the table and they started setting up.

"Do we have to drink beer?" Gibbs asked.

"Not if you don't want to wake up tomorrow." Felix smiled.

"So beer and a shot?" McGee said.

"Yup." DiNozzo smiled mischeviously.

"Seriously?" Gibbs groused.

Felix smiled, "Its a rule!"

"And we all know what a stickler you are for the rules." Tony smiled and Gibbs raised his hand to smack DiNozzo who automatically cowered.

"But you may drink what you like, sir." Felix smiled. "Ducky, want to play?"

He shook his head, "No thank you dear. I'll observe this wonderous mating ritual. But could I trouble you for a cup of that marvelous coffee?"

"No trouble at all," Felix smiled, "Anyone else?" Gibbs raised his hand and Felix rolled her eyes, "Naturally." But no one else asked for one. Felix nodded and made her way inside while everyone started taking their seats. Abby grabbed a seat next to McGee and he put an arm around her and her hand rested on his leg.

"Ugh." DiNozzo growled.

"Easy DiNozzo." Gibbs chuckled, "I gotta hit the head." He stood up and followed Felix inside.

She was scooping coffee grounds into her percolator. She loved the smell of it. It reminded her of her best friend and her grandma.

She was momentarily distracted by a warm hand sliding up her back. The coffee was brewing so she ignored it, letting out a soft moan. "Mmm, DiNozzo."

"What?" Gibbs growled and turned her around to see a very big smile on her face.

"I'm kidding." She chuckled and placed a hand on his chest. "Oh, but that was good. Your face was a mask of intense hatred." She said dramatically, "You _are_ a jealous guy."

He just chuckled, "So is this officially a sleep over?" He said, moving close to her.

"Yes, I already stole everyone's keys. Except for Ducky's. Thats still his first scotch." She smiled.

Gibbs patted his pockets, "What the hell? When did you get my keys?"

Felix smiled and pulled them out of her pockets, jingling them in front of his face, "Don't worry about it." She said as she turned back to the coffee.

"I don't like people stealing from me." He growled playfully in her ear.

She smiled and leaned back into him. His lips softly kissed her neck, "Well then old man, you should get on top of your shit." She laughed. He bit down on her shoulder and she yelped, turning in his arms and smacking his chest. "What if someone comes in and sees us?" She said, pushing against his chest weakly.

He shrugged and kissed her neck again, "Oh well." He smiled, "I think they've started to assume it anyways. Tony drools with envy every time he looks at you."

Felix just laughed, "Oh shut up." She said and turned around, bumping him back with her hip. "The coffee's ready." She said and poured him a cup, a cup for Ducky, and one for herself. "Come on. Time to teach an old dog new tricks." She smiled, going back outside with a cup in her hand for Ducky. She took her seat next to Gibbs's empty chair and across from Abby.

"Ok." McGee said, "Now what?"

Tony reached into his pockets and pulled out a few quarters, "Now, we play."

"Wait, where have those quarters been?" McGee said distastefully.

"Easy McBaby." DiNozzo growled, "Alcohol kills bacteria."

McGee looked around, "Does it?"

"Sure!" Everyone said enthusiastically, even Ducky.

"Ok. I'll go first and then we'll go around the table." DiNozzo smiled. He bounced the quarter off the table and directly into McGee's cup. "Drink up probie." He smiled.

"Shit." McGee said and grabbed his beer cup and chugged it.

"Refill." DiNozzo smiled.

Felix grabbed a quarter and bounced it into Abby's cup.

"SHIT!" Abby laughed, "I hate this game already." Felix smiled and passed a quarter to Gibbs.

"Ok boss, so you have to bounce it off of the table and into one of our cups or the middle cups." He smiled patronizingly, "Can you see the cups boss?" He turned to Felix, "Can we get more light out here? Maybe get a magnifying glass?" He chuckled, everyone joining in, even Gibbs.

"No." Gibbs smiled, leaning back as if to help his old eyes, "I think I got it."

"Cause really boss, we can-," DiNozzo started.

PLUNK.

The dead silence made the sound of the quarter sinking into the glass much more tangible.

It sunk right into Tony's shot glass. The sound made Tony's smile fade.

"Did I do it right?" Gibbs smiled wickedly.

"Yea boss." Tony grabbed his shot and fished the quarter out. "Shit," He groused and raised his glass, "To old age - I mean, wisdom." He smiled and tossed it back.

"Refill!" McGee yelled and everyone laughed.

"Nice shot boss." Tony said, making a sour face.

"Well, I was a sniper DiNozzo." Gibbs smiled.

"Yeah," Tony said grabbing the vodka and pouring it into his glass, "I know."

What continued for the next hour or two was chemical ware fare - seeing how much alcohol they could manage to get their opponents to ingest. DiNozzo and McGee had made it a personal affair trying to get each other as drunk as possible. Gibbs was happily sinking shot glasses for the both of them. Abby and Felix were trying to tag team DiNozzo and Gibbs, who were the best players. Gibbs and DiNozzo happily fought back. Gibbs sank four shots for Felix and two for Abby.

"Hey! This isn't fair, he should have to be like a thousand yards away or something!" Abby griped.

"Yea!" Felix assented, "From the bushes!" That started a resounding chant of "Bushes! Bushes!" from the team.

Gibbs just chuckled, "You think I cant make that shot?" It was about ten feet away to Felix's bushes.

"Boss I'll put down ten bucks that says you cant." Tony said laughing. Felix plunked a quarter into his cup, "Bitch!" He rasped.

"What was that?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing boss." DiNozzo said quickly and drank his beer, "Ten bucks."

"Any other wagers?" Gibbs smiled.

"If you can make that shot," McGee said, "I'll drink my beer, my shot, and your shot."

"Tony will drink your bourbon!" Abby added.

"Hey!" Tony said in a lame defense.

"What about you ladies?" Gibbs smiled.

"Please make them kiss!" Tony said. Abby and Felix punched him in the arm, "Ow." He said weakly.

"I'll do both my drinks." Felix smiled.

"Me too!" Abby said.

"What about the middle glass?" Gibbs pointed.

"We'll divide it." McGee said.

"And have another shot." Gibbs smiled.

"Wait." McGee said, "I'm starting to _not_ like this."

"Nut up McGee." Felix smiled.

"Ducky?" Gibbs asked. "Any wagers?"

"I cannot think of one," He smiled, looking sobered, "But I'll owe you a favor until I do."

"What if I miss?" Gibbs said.

Tony, Abby, McGee, and Felix all looked at each other, smiling widely and sinisterly.

"Probie for a week!" Felix said.

"And I get to be the boss." DiNozzo chuckled, "And you cant punch me if I whack you on the back of the head."

"PROBIE FOR A WEEK!" Abby cheered, clapping with McGee.

Gibbs nodded, "All right." He said standing and grabbing a quarter. He walked back ten paces to the edge of the bushes and took aim.

"In the brush old man!" Tony yelled.

Gibbs took a step back into a little hole in the bushes, "DiNozzo I could still kill you from here."

"If you could see me." He murmured in response.

"You know," Gibbs said patronizingly, "My hearing is still fine." Gibbs lined up for the shot and everyone started screaming things in order to distract him, except of course for Ducky who chuckled, sitting quietly with the ruckus around him. McGee and Abby were making random noises while DiNozzo yelled dirty things with Felix swatting at DiNozzo's shoulder when the dirty things included Felix's body parts.

Gibbs laughed and took the shot.

The quarter seemed to float for an extended amount of time. It traveled through the air slowly, gracefully, arcing towards the table.

PLUNK.

It sunk into the center cup.

"SHIT!" McGee yelled.

"NO!!" Felix and Abby screamed.

And Dinozzo just let out a string of profanities that could strip paint off a wall.

Ducky laughed as everyone cursed Gibbs as they took their drinks. He stood and thanked Felix for her hospitality and said goodbye to others. He congratulated Jethro and asked him to walk him to his car.

"You sure you're okay to drive Duck?" Gibbs asked as they walked through the house.

"Yes Jethro," He said amicably, "I made sure I had enough time to metabolize the alcohol and get some food in me.

"Good." Gibbs smiled, "What about Jimmy?"

"His cars out front." Ducky smiled, "Make sure he's not dead when you get back inside." He laughed and stuck out his hand to Gibbs.

Gibbs took it, "Drive safe Duck."

"Of course." Ducky smiled. As Gibbs turned to walk back into the house, Ducky said, "And Jethro?"

Gibbs turned, "Yea Duck?"

Ducky smiled, "I don't know what that girl has done for you and your team but she's a keeper." He smiled, "Especially for you. I haven't seen you this happy in almost all the years I've worked with you." He put his hand on Gibbs shoulder, "How do they say?...Oh thats right, 'don't screw the pooch on this one' Jethro." He winked and got in his car, rolling down the windows, "Doctor's orders!"

Gibbs laughed as Ducky drove away. He checked on Palmer, who was still breathing, thankfully, and then made his way to the back yard. Everyone was still sitting companionably at the table, drinking their beers. DiNozzo and Felix were smoking, Felix with a cigarette and DiNozzo with a cuban cigar. McGee and Abby were sitting on a chair together, Abby curled up on his lap and him looking happy as anyone could.

Gibbs observed the group for a moment and felt his gut settle. His team was whole again. He was happy...Wasn't he?

He got back to his seat and took one of Tony's cigars and sipped his coffee.

DiNozzo was telling some story about himself in college and Felix was listening and chiming in to make fun of his hyperactive sex drive.

Gibbs checked his watch, realizing it was close to midnight. The night wasn't too chilly but it wasn't warm either. Felix was perched on the arm of DiNozzo's chair, his arm was around her waist. He might have been a little jealous, but DiNozzo and Felix were good friends, he was protective like a brother should be and Felix doted on him. They teased each other relentlessly, but they worked together effortlessly. He noticed Felix give a slight shiver. She was still wearing her t-shirt and jeans and the air was pretty crisp.

Gibbs stood and slipped off his jacket, draping it over Felix's shoulders, even taking the time to lift her hair out from under it. Everyone fell silent with this gesture, even Felix, who looked up at him with an astonished smile on her lips.

"Thanks." She said softly, pulling the jacket tighter around her shoulders and a blush creeping up on her lips.

Gibbs bent down and placed a soft, but lingering kiss, on her lips, "You're welcome." He smiled.

It took a few moments of stunned silence, but DiNozzo picked up where he left off, eliciting more laughter from Felix, McGee and Abby. Gibbs even smiled a little bit with DiNozzo's stories as he looked up at the sky and watched the stars.

About an hour later DiNozzo, Abby and McGee were sufficiently drunk. Gibbs and Felix were only slightly better. Gibbs had grabbed Felix's hand beneath the table about thirty minutes ago., the feeling of his fingers intertwined with hers made her giddy and light headed.

"All right guys, we should _probably_ get some sleep." Felix smiled, looking at Abby who was still on McGee's lap, sound asleep.

She stirred, "Sleep?" She said, very sleepily, forcing her eyes to open, "No! I'm fine!" She yawned.

Felix laughed, "McGee, you guys can have the guest room."

"Ok." McGee said as Abby stood and stretched. He stood up and patted his pockets, "Hey, where are my keys?" He sounded frantic.

DiNozzo patted his as well, "Shit, mine are gone too."

Felix smiled at Gibbs evilly, "I have them."

"You do?" They said at the same time, both very confused.

"Yeah, you gave them to me before quarters, you guys." She smiled.

"Oh." DiNozzo said, pacified.

"Huh," McGee muttered scratching his head, "I don't remember that."

"Thats not surprising McLush." DiNozzo chuckled.

"Ok, ok, well I have clothes in the car that I can wear to bed," He looked to Felix, "Gym clothes."

"Ew." Abby said, wrinkling her nose.

"Don't worry Abby their clean." McGee added, grabbing her shoulder to stop her from swaying.

"I believe the term is 'unused.'" DiNozzo snickered and McGee took a stumbling step towards him which was meant to be menacing.

"Alright!" Felix shouted, taking command, "I have basketball shorts and shirts you can all borrow. McGee, take Abby to bed, I'll be by in a second to bring you guys clothes."

"Yes McGee!" Abby said, jumping up into his arms, "To bed!" She pointed at the house.

McGee was smiling affectionately at her, like she was the only woman for a hundred miles, "G'night." He said and carried her away.

"Alright," DiNozzo said, clapping his hands, "Whose my bunkmate?" He wiggled his eyebrows at Felix.

"Dexter." Gibbs grinned, pointing to the pool of black around Felix's feet.

"Oh." He looked disappointed, "Okay."

"Come on Tony," Felix said, taking his arm, "I'll get you pajamas and help you set up the bed." She set up the bed for Tony, grabbed Tony, Abby, and McGee clothes, water and some IBprofen to stave off the hang over. She got everyone situated and comfortable and said her goodnights.

"You're a doll." Tony yawned and then kissed her cheek, "Thanks for a wonderful night." He said, lying down. He whistled for Dexter who jumped up happily to snuggle and was out in seconds.

Felix chuckled and walked towards the kitchen, prepping herself for the cleaning up of her friends' disgraces when she heard the sink in her kitchen running. She turned the corner and saw Gibbs at the sink washing out the used cups. He turned and smiled. She was tempted to throw him on the floor and have her way with him versus letting him finish the dishes and taking it to her bedroom. The first one sounded extremely appetizing, so much so that her belly tightened and her skin flushed...But then again, she _really_ hated doing the dishes.

"Hey, thanks." She said sweetly leaning against the door jamb.

"I got everything from outside." He said. "You just need to wrap the food and put it away."

"Wow, great ass _and_ you do the dishes?" Felix chuckled and walked over to her table, starting to wrap up the food, "Tell me you'll put the seat down and I may just be smitten."

He finished up the dishes and helped her pack up the food. The kitchen was clean in record time, so Felix prepped her coffee pot for the next day. She turned and smiled at Gibbs just as he reached for her, but she dodged it effortlessly.

"Wait!" She giggled, "You need to see this." She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the front room where Jimmy lay comatose on her love seat, curled up into the fetal position. DiNozzo was sprawled out on her sofa bed, his arm and leg over Dexter's big hair body.

Gibbs chuckled, "That's perfect."

Felix smiled, "I know." She said and reached into Gibbs's pant pocket and pulled out his phone, snapping a photo. She stuffed it back into his pocket and smiled. She walked back to her bedroom with Gibbs on her heels.

Once she closed and locked the door Gibbs grabbed her and pulled her to him, peeling off the jacket she was wearing and tossing it to the side. He immediately started kissing her neck and shoulders. Felix chuckled at his urgency, but it wasn't tolerated for long. Once he put his mouth on hers, she molded to him and started undressing him just as quickly as he was trying to undress her.

"Bed," He mumbled around her lips. She obliged and pushed him down onto his back. She started unbuttoning his pants and pulled them down to his knees. He laughed lightly as she tugged off her pants and underwear and climbed on top of him.

"Wait, I had big plans for those underwear." He smiled.

Felix lowered herself onto him and sighed, "Too urgent." She smiled and started rocking slowly on top of him.

Gibbs enjoyed the view immensely. She was moving slowly in a maddening rhythm and he felt every inch of her around him. He sat up wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer, guiding her hips on his. "Shit Felix." He murmured into her skin. She smiled, biting her lower lip and running her hands along his shoulders, her fingers moving up his neck to run through his hair.

"Fucking hell." She whispered as he pulled down the shoulder of her shirt and the strap of her bra to free one breast which he avidly attended to, "Oh Jethro," She sighed, kissing his forehead. "This is too much." She chuckled as he raised his lips to meet hers. They moved together, slowly, but their breathing quickened. Felix was trying her hardest to not make a single sound.

"Enough." Gibbs said, pulling off his shirt and then Felix's. He lifted Felix up and laid her on the bed still kissing her and without pulling out. "Sorry honey," he smiled, slipping out of her to fully kick off his pants, while she hastily undid her bra and removed her shirt.

Without warning, Gibbs grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the edge of the bed. Felix yelped out of surprise, but no longer minded the sudden movement, once she realized she was at a perfect height for Gibbs to just slide on in.

"Wow." She said, smiling as he moved inside of her.

He gripped her thighs, which were spread wide, and looked down at her body, putting more power into his thrusts, "You got that right." He smiled, reaching down to elicit a sound from her.

She moaned softly, her breathing speeding up as she tightened around him. He kept his speed constant watching as her body rolled and arced beneath his fingers. She was biting her lower lip pretty hard to keep from making sounds, but he could tell by the way her body moved, what she liked. Her body tightened around him again and she made a very quiet, strained and erotic sound that pleased Gibbs to no end. He felt her orgasm more than he heard it.

He pulled out momentarily to slide her back onto the bed, her body limply attempting to help, her chest heaving. He climbed on top of her and pushed inside.

"Holy fuck." She whispered. Gibbs laughed and began kissing her again, his elbows planted above her shoulders, holding her in place and he moved inside of her. Felix's hands were gripping his upper back and her legs wrapped tightly around him.

"Felix..." He growled into her mouth.

"Omigod, Jethro." She said softly, biting down on her lip as another orgasm crashed over her and his followed soon after. They laid together for a few moments, bodies entwined and breathing heavily.

"Shit..." Felix chuckled weakly, "Fuck that was good."

He just smiled and kissed her sweetly, "Took the words right out of my mouth." He said, pulling out slowly and rolling onto his back. Felix curled up next to him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders playing idly with her short black hair. She put her hand on his chest and drummed against it lightly with her fingertips.

"Jethro?" Felix said softly, kissing his chest.

"Yeah?" He said sleepily.

Felix smiled and let out a sigh, "Good night."

"Good night sweetheart." He yawned and kissed her forehead. Felix smiled, closing her eyes and fell asleep instantly.

When Felix woke up in the morning, she rolled over, expecting to have her face licked to bits by a hulking beast. Instead she felt soft lips pressing against her nose.

"What the-," Felix said groggily. She opened her eyes and was face to face with Gibbs. He chuckled.

"Surprised to see me?" He smiled, his voice sleepy.

"Actually yes, I was starting to think that you coming over here was a wonderfully erotic dream." She looked around her room, "I swore I brought DiNozzo in here last night."

He poked her in the side and she yelped, "You would probably kill DiNozzo."

She smiled and rolled closer to him and kissed his lips, "You're probably right." He began kissing her neck and shoulders. "Its time for breakfast. I believe there will be a throng of hung over people out there."

"Palmer's already gone." Gibbs said, his teeth nipping at her neck, moving down her chest.

"How do you know?" She said softly, as his fingers played on her skin.

"Heard him puking in your bathroom," Gibbs said, holding her closer, letting his thumb graze over her breast with his lips following. "Then heard him grumble out the door, cursing Tony and McGee."

Felix smiled, feeling his tongue do wonderful things on her body, "Oh. Anyone else?" She smiled as his fingers moved south. She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed softly, he looked up at her, smiling, "Control yourself or I'm going to break your fingers." She said sternly.

"You'll be too distracted." He said, rolling her onto her back and kissing her stomach while keeping his eyes on hers.

"What if they're awake?" She chuckled as he kissed lower.

"I have the best investigatory team in the United States," He kissed her inner thigh, "They aren't stupid." More kisses, lower. "Right Tony!?" Gibbs shouted over his shoulder. They heard the shuffling of feet, someone thumping against the wall, a few muffled curses and a door closing.

"Shit." Felix sighed, "Okay, mood officially killed." She laughed, rolling out from underneath Gibbs and sliding off the bed.

"I'm going to kill them." Gibbs growled, face down on the bed.

Felix laughed and slipped on a snug fitting t-shirt dress that came about five inches above her knee with nothing on underneath. Gibbs watched her, bitterly, and noticed that she didn't slip on anything else underneath, which did not help his situation. She turned around, smiling, with sweatpants and a t shirt in hand. She threw them at him and they landed on his ass. He groaned. "Get up!" She said, chuckling and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Gibbs laid there for a few more minutes staring at the wall and thinking about whether or not he cared about what the team thought of him and Felix being together. Ducky was right, Felix had changed his team. She'd changed him. He rolled out of bed, smelling coffee from the kitchen, and pulled on the clothes Felix threw at him.

He opened the door at the exact same time McGee did. McGee was pulling his shirt down and Gibbs was doing the same as they pulled the doors shut. McGee looked slightly horrified, Gibbs just grinned.

"I hope I only feel half as bad as you look." Gibbs growled.

"Hey boss." McGee said, his cheeks blushing bright red. Gibbs opened his mouth to say something when Abby walked out of the room in a black tank top and a pair of boxer shorts, she slung an arm around his neck and kissed McGee on the cheek.

"Good morning my McStud." She smiled, "Oh! Hi Gibbs!" Abby smiled. She looked at McGee, back at Gibbs who were both staring at each other, completely silent. "Awkward," She whispered and then she ran into the kitchen.

Gibbs shot McGee a stern look, but McGee just smiled nervously and ran after Abby. He sighed. He couldn't berate Abby and McGee, its not like he wasn't doing the exact same thing.

His focus was shifted back to the coffee. He followed the scent to find Abby, McGee and DiNozzo sitting at the table. Abby leaned against McGee and sipped her coffee. McGee was smiling foolishly drumming his fingers on the table. Tony was shirtless and looked worse than McGee. His hair looked like he had sex with an electrical outlet.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs said in disbelief gesturing to his bare chest.

"Dog drool, boss." DiNozzo muttered, sipping his coffee, "Things got a little heated last night."

Felix turned from the stove brandishing a spatula, "Keep your mangy _dagowop_ hands off of my pooch!" She glared.

Tony smiled wide, "His tongue is just...so..._long_." He said, jokingly reminiscent.

"AH!"

"EEWWW!"

"UGH!"

THWAP.

"Awe boss!" Tony said painfully grabbing his head, "Please, not _this_ morning." He gripped his ears as if something may fall out. Everyone chuckled.

"Ok, eggs bacon and I'm starting homemade waffles." She smiled bringing platters of food to the table and setting them down in front of her guests, "Come and get it." She doled out plates and everyone shoveled food onto their plates.

"Felix, you are a goddess." DiNozzo said, tearing into a piece of bacon.

"Yes, thank you." Felix smiled, bowing to DiNozzo.

"I'll even forgive you for the racial slur." He smiled.

"You're just jealous because you don't actually know what nationality I am, so you cant call me anything derogatory." She smiled sweetly. She fixed up two waffles for each person and placed them on the table. She grabbed her coffee pot and started pouring out some more coffee for everyone as they ate. Everyone thanked her and Gibbs straightened up from his plate and kissed her on the neck. Everyone froze and became silent. Even Felix froze, her eyes wide open, staring at Abby in shock. She was pretty sure she saw a chunk of food fall out of DiNozzo's surprised gaping mouth.

"Thanks." Gibbs said softly.

Felix gulped loudly, "Welcome." And everyone went back to consuming their food. Felix grabbed a cup of coffee for herself and sat down in the only open seat next to Gibbs. She smiled lightly and began horking down her food happily.

"God this is the ultimate cure." McGee smiled, sipping the coffee slowly. "This stuff is great. Where do you get it?"

"It's a Vietnamese brew." Felix said, "I learned how to make it in high school. My best friend's grandma gave me her percolator."

"That's pretty cool." Abby said, "I love this stuff. What do you mix in it?"

"Condensed milk. Thats what makes it so sweet." Felix smiled, "Except for Gibbs's. That's straight jet fuel." She chuckled.

"Exactly how I like it." He smiled.

They finished up their breakfast chatting companionably. Felix gave everybody towels and directed them towards her one bathroom. Everyone took turns showering, Felix went last. She was in her towel, finishing her morning routine, while Abby, DiNozzo, and McGee played video games. Gibbs sat by watching them in horrified amusement as strange screeching creatures jumped out from the blackness and their characters either lit them on fire or shot them with a fusillade of bullets. His cell started to buzz so he got up and took the call outside.

The door to the bathroom opened while Felix was still in her towel. She had just finished blow drying her hair and she turned to see Gibbs standing there smiling.

"Hi." She said simply.

He looked her up and down, "We've got a crime scene. Gear up." He said more seriously.

"Sure." She said and moved to shut her door. Gibbs stood in the doorway, smiling. "Excuse me?"

"I'm fine right here." He said smugly.

Felix rolled her eyes and shoved him out of the bathroom, slamming the door in his face to get ready.


	8. Chapter 8

-8-

Once they were at the squad room, Felix started gearing up.

"Felix, you're staying here." Gibbs said sternly.

She looked up, shocked, "Wha-, why?" She said, desperately.

Gibbs nodded to Tony and McGee, signaling them that they could make their way to the elevator. "On the way over here, I got another call from dispatch. They believe that this could be the body of Akina Huskins."

Felix dropped her pack on the ground, "Akina?" She said tearily, "But, I can help. I should be there to identify her."

"Prelims have already shown it most likely is her. They of course have to run finger prints and DNA, but it looks like her." Gibbs said softly, moving closer to Felix.

"But," She said, her mind spacing, "I should help. I'm part of the team."

Gibbs nodded, putting his hands on her shoulders, "But you're also involved with the possible victim." Felix looked up at him, her eyes widened in shock and fear. "And the scene evidently isn't pretty. I wont put you through another incident like Jamison."

She scrunched her face in distaste, "I'm sorry that I lost control, I didn't mean to screw with the FB-,"

"No, thats not why Felix," Gibbs said, "You don't need to see her like this."

"But Gibbs-,"

"Felix," He said sternly, "You aren't going and that's final." He sat her down forcefully. "Abby will drug you if necessary. Let me handle this and we'll discuss your involvement after we take care of the scene." Abby came up behind Felix and placed her hands on her shoulders, squeezing her reassuringly. And then Gibbs was gone.

Felix sat for a few hours in Abby's lab, staring at her computer screen, her heart in her throat and tears pressing against her eye lids. She couldn't focus or breathe. The death of Jamison, the death of Akina, Gibbs was right, it was far to much for her to handle. Even if she _didn't_ know Akina, it would be hard to see the destroyed body of a beautiful four year old girl.

Abby tried to engage her in some conversation, but Felix only fed her simple one or two word answers. She looked completely comatose and Abby was starting to get worried.

Soon evidence started arriving with Tony and McGee. Felix wanted to stay and lend a hand, but Abby refused her assistance and ordered McGee and DiNozzo to take her back upstairs to the squad room. Felix was tempted on fighting them off, but after seeing the terrified looks in their eyes - whether from Felix's animosity or Abby's adamant demand, she didn't know - she decided not to. She let them cart her upstairs and sit her at her desk. Rather than look dejected and fragile, like she felt, she kept a stony exterior, sitting with perfect posture, staring at her empty computer screen waiting for some sort of news from Gibbs.

Finally, Gibbs returned to the squad room, Fornell by his side, looking like a troll. Felix's eyes automatically narrowed and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She stood slowly when they approached, staring at Gibbs and hoping for some recognition, but he walked right by her without a single word. She felt invisible.

She walked around her desk and made her way towards the elevator pressing the button and waiting for the doors. Once they opened she walked in and jammed the button for the floor with Ducky's lab on it. The body was bound to be there and she needed answers. She wanted to know if her life was really as dark as it all seemed. Just as the doors were closing a hand stopped them from settling together.

They sprung open and Gibbs was standing there, his face blank, "Where are you going?"

She wanted to kick at him for leaving her with utter silence for almost five hours, "I was thinking about joining the Coast Guard..." She spat vehemently, smacking at his hand, and pushing the _close door_ button.

Gibbs smiled in his wry way and walked into the elevator just as the doors started closing. "Felix..." He simply said, without looking at her.

"I'm going to Ducky's." She said acidly.

"Why would you do that?" He asked as the elevator descended.

"Because of the lack of communication between my superior officer and I. I need to find out the information for myself, to ensure that, as a Special Agent of the Navy Criminal _Investigative_ Services, I can properly _service_ my country by _investigating_ the crime that happened to a young girl." She growled.

Gibbs turned on her, flipping the _off_ switch to the elevator and then slamming her up against the wall, "I did this to protect you." He growled.

She looked up at him, her head throbbing from the impact, "Do I _look_ like I need protecting from _you_?" She growled and shoved him away from her.

He fell back a few steps but then pushed back, using his entire body to pin her there, "You need to _listen_ to me as your commanding officer. You are personally involved in this and its kicking your ass!" He spat.

"And you've never been personally involved in a case?" She growled back.

He glared down at her, "I never said I didn't, but I'm smart enough to hold someone back from doing something stupid."

She shoved back at him, "Stupid?" She scoffed, "Really? Well, _fuck_ you very much."

He grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head, "JUST STOP DAMMIT!" He bellowed.

Felix finally relaxed her body and her anger dissipated, she sighed heavily, "I fucking hate this." She growled. "I don't like being left out of the loop." She looked up at him, her eyes very sad, "Especially when it involves people I care about. I _want_ to help catch this guy."

Gibbs nodded his head, "All right, but I need _you_ in control."

She took a deep breath and leaned her head back against the wall, "All right." She said and Gibbs laid his hand on her jaw, "And thank you." She said softly.

"For what?" He smiled.

She looked back at him, "For putting my ass in line."

"Anything to do with your ass I happily oblige to." Gibbs smiled.

Felix swatted at his shoulder, smiling. They were silent for a few moments, the elevator still off, "Can I see her?" She finally whispered.

Gibbs nodded, "Sure." He looked at his watch and thought that Ducky was probably done with the autopsy by now. He leaned across from her and flipped the elevator back on. He kept an arm around her waist while the elevator descended and it opened directly to the hallway in front of Ducky's autopsy room.

Gibbs walked her inside, where Ducky was in his white lab coat, recording a memo at his desk. "Hiya Duck." He smiled.

Ducky turned slowly, "Well to what do I owe the pleasure?" He smiled, seeing Gibbs. When he saw Felix, his smile faded slightly. "Well then, would you like to see her? We just got her cleaned up."

Felix nodded, without saying a word. Ducky stood and walked over to one of the examination tables and stood to the side. Felix stood opposite of Ducky with Gibbs at her side an arm around her waist, her hands clenched tightly in front of her.

"Are you sure my dear?" Ducky asked and Felix nodded once more. "All right." He said, pulling back the sheet.

The small girl lay there, looking very peaceful, if not for the pallor of her skin. Her lips were purple and her eyes were almost wholly white. She had bruises on her jaw and neckline as well as tiny cuts littering her shoulders and neck. Felix took in a shaky breath and looked up to Ducky.

"She died just like Jamison, didn't she?" She asked softly.

"Yes." Ducky said, "She was bled out, unfortunately, not before she was sexually assaulted and beaten rather brutally." His voice was somber, but he wasn't going to lie to Felix. She was too smart for that.

Felix nodded, chewing on the inside of her cheek, "Thanks Ducky." Felix smiled weakly. She brushed her hand over the cold skin of Akina's forehead and whispered a soft prayer and turned to Gibbs, putting her face in his chest and allowing herself a few silent tears for her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead, nodding to Ducky to cover Akina back up.

"Come on, lets go get some coffee." Gibbs said softly, guiding her back to the elevator. She nodded, leaning up against him, sniffling softly. "Just breathe." He said softly, kissing her forehead as the elevator doors closed.

"I'm all right." She said weakly.

"Felix you don't have to be strong all the time." Gibbs said.

She scoffed, "Look who I have as my example. I need to be strong." She said softly, "I have to make arrangements for the funeral." She looked up at him, desperation in her eyes, "They don't have anyone else."

Gibbs nodded as the elevator took them to the ground floor. He started walking towards the coffee stand he always went to, but Felix scrunched her face in distaste. He chuckled, "What's wrong with this coffee?"

She smiled, "It tastes like piss and lighter fluid. Not a fun combo."

He chuckled, "Its the closest thing we have."

She shrugged, "All right, all right, fine." She assented as they walked to the small kiosk. Gibbs ordered a straight black coffee and Felix asked for the Mexican latte. They sat in silence sipping, Gibbs had his hand on her thigh as she smoked three cigarettes in a row.

"Felix?" Gibbs said.

She looked at him and sighed, "I'm as alright as I can be Gibbs. My best friend's four year old child just turned up brutally beaten and raped. I'm doing what I can to control myself." She stared at her coffee cup as if the name of the murderer would materialize in the whipped cream. "I want to kill him myself."

Gibbs nodded, "I understand." He said, squeezing her thigh, "But he deserves years of imprisonment with men who hate child molesters more than they hate cops."

She chuckled, "He deserves to be impaled by a splintered pole and put on a slow roasting pit in hell."

He smiled, "I would have to agree. Anyone that hurts a child deserves to die a slow and painful death." He said, his voice catching, thinking of Kelly and Shannon.

"Do you?" She chuckled, "Mr. Law and Order. You should have a TV show."

Gibbs shrugged, "I already have a book series. Why not TV?"

She stared at him speculatively for a few moments, "Wait... L.J. Tibbs?" She started laughing hysterically, "Oh man I can't believe I didn't notice that one. Hello obvious!! Oh Tim must have gotten hell and a half for what he wrote, especially the last book. You're scene with the blon-," She paused, taking a breath to stop the laughter. She cleared her throat, "Never mind."

Gibbs stared at her, confused, "I'm guessing this one hasn't been published yet?"

She smiled, shaking her head, inhaling her cigarette, "Nope, not yet."

He shook his head, "I thought I was so slick."

She smiled, "Well Gibbs when everyone looks up to you, its hard not to notice things."

"Like they've noticed us?" He said.

She nodded, "Not without your help."

He smiled, "Felix, I'm too old for espionage."

She chuckled, "Could have fooled me." She shook her head, "We don't need to have this conversation. I understand."

He looked at her, confused, "What do you understand?"

She smiled, "You don't want me." She shrugged.

He opened his mouth to say something, but his phone rang. He lifted it to his ear, "Yeah, Gibbs." He said staring at Felix who looked absolutely whipped. "We'll be up in a moment." Felix looked up at him and smiled weakly. "DiNozzo needs us in the squad room." He said lamely. "Felix..."

She smiled, "Don't worry about it Gibbs." She stood and started walking back towards the building, leaving Gibbs, sinking fast in his unsaid words.

When they got back to the squad room, Felix had taken the stairs and had gotten there before Gibbs. She was standing next to DiNozzo, leaning heavily against him, and Gibbs felt betrayed.

"What do you got?" He said gruffly.

DiNozzo turned, flipping through pictures of the crime scene, "Well we have time and cause of death from Ducky." He said, "We also have an abnormality that wasn't found with any of the other bodies."

"Yeah?" Gibbs asked, "Finger print?"

McGee shook his head, "No. Not that lucky. We did however find traces of etorphine hydrochloride in the victim's system. Its a heavy tranquilizer."

"How heavy?" Gibbs asked.

"Elephant-tranquilizer-heavy." DiNozzo added, "We didn't find traces of that in the systems of the other victims." He said, flipping through pictures of the other crime scenes, Jamison and Akina's face flashing across the screen. Gibbs watched Felix out of the corner of his eye and though she looked stoic the pain in her eyes was evident. "He had her sedated, for a while, I'd say." DiNozzo said.

"And Duck?"

"Wouldn't need that much tranquilizer for a duck." DiNozzo said absently and Gibbs smacked him on the back of the head. "Oh, I get it. What did _Ducky_ say? He concludes. The killer used the drug to subdue her and then also injected Coumadin to her system."

"The blood thinner." Felix finally added.

"You'd be correct." McGee added. "We're tracing purchases of etorphine hydrochloride. Obviously its not widely used except for people in the zoologist or veterinary profession. We should be able to get a trace on whoever purchased it in the next few days. Thats if he used his real identity. Or at least a traceable one." He finished.

"Thats too long McGee." Gibbs growled, staring at the photos as they flew by on the screen.

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure if we can go must faster." DiNozzo admitted. "Its not widely used, so it will be harder to find the transactions. After we find transactions, we'll need to trace the people on the East coast, get warrants to bring the purchasers in-,"

"I _know_ the drill DiNozzo." Gibbs growled vehemently. "So you're telling me that we have absolutely no leads?"

DiNozzo shrugged, "I wouldn't say no leads-,"

"WAIT!" Felix said urgently, scaring the living hell out of DiNozzo and McGee who jumped about a foot. "Go back!!!" She said running and getting so close to the monitor that her nose was almost pressing against the screen.

"Back to what?" DiNozzo asked.

"About six frames." Felix said, her eyes glued to the screen. DiNozzo flipped through the last few frames and landed on a particular picture of the crime scene.

"Oh, that reminds me. We found traces off of blood one of the thorns. We're testing it to see if it was our victim or if it was our killer." DiNozzo said happily.

"We?" Gibbs asked.

"By 'we' I mean Abby." He admitted.

"Oh my God." Felix said breathily.

"All right!" DiNozzo said, "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to steal the credit from Abby! I'm just communicating the evidence. No 'we' in team!"

"That's not the right saying..." McGee said and DiNozzo shot him a scathing look.

McGee directed his attention back to the photos while Tony glared at him, "This is the first set of flowers he's left at the crime scene. This is the first of _anything _he's left at the crime scene." He said.

"No." Felix said, staring at the photo on the LCD screen, it was a bouquet left by the body of Akina. She grabbed Gibbs arm and tugged him ruthlessly, "Come here!" She said urgently and dragged him to an empty corner.

"What the hell Felix?" Gibbs growled, readjusting his jacket.

"Gibbs, if I ask you a question will you answer me 100% honestly?" She said, gripping the lapels of his jacket.

He grabbed her hands and tried to peel them from his jacket, "Yes." He said nervously. She looked crazed. Her eyes were wide in what looked like fear and she really did have a death grip on his jacket.

She shook her head, "You know the presents you talked about?" Gibbs nodded. "Was it just the coffee or have you been leaving things for me before that?"

"What?" He said, in disbelief. She was speaking so frantically.

"GIBBS!" She shouted, shaking his shoulders, "Did you or did you not leave me any flowers in the past few weeks?"

Gibbs scoffed softly, he almost laughed until he saw the look on Felix's face, "What?"

"Dammit Gibbs!" She shouted, grabbing his arm and tugging him back to their cubicle. She pulled him in front of the LCD monitor where the picture was still on the screen, with a confused McGee and DiNozzo standing on either side of it. She positioned Gibbs in front of the photo, "You're not to old to recognize roses right?" Gibbs turned, ready to shoot back a cold remark, but Felix just grabbed either side of his face and forced him to look at it. "How many roses are in the bouquet?"

"Nine?" McGee interjected.

Felix rolled her eyes, "Nine fucking roses!" She yelled inches away from the screen. She turned back to Gibbs, "You're not a flower guy are you?"

Gibbs stared at her in annoyance, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Twelve stems!" Felix turned and pointed at the screen, "That fucking dozen roses is missing three flowers!"

DiNozzo shrugged, "Maybe they fell off in the struggle."

Felix shook her head, "I don't think so." She said softly.

"How do you know that?" McGee said, staring at the photo more closely.

"One, because the stems are cut diagonally, in order to help the flowers stay fresh." She said and then turned to Gibbs, "And unless you've been leaving me mauve roses..." She gulped in air, "I'm pretty sure I have the other three roses from _that_ bouquet."

"WHAT?" Gibbs said, sounding furious. "Why haven't you told me that you've been receiving strange gifts?"

Felix bit her lip, "I thought they were from," She cleared her throat, her eyes flickering from DiNozzo to McGee, "Someone else."

Gibbs started massaging the bridge of his nose. He had the beginnings of a blinding head ache. "Felix, where have you found these flowers?"

She stared at Gibbs, her mouth moving wordlessly, "I-I," She shook her head, "Car windshield, my door step, and -, holy fuck..."

"What?" Gibbs growled, looking back at her. Her face went white and her hands were shaking. He walked up to her and grabbed her shoulders, "Felix! What?" He yelled at her, trying to get her eyes to focus.

Her eyes slowly traced back to his face, "Gibbs, how was I supposed to know?"

"Felix," Gibbs said calmly, placing his hand gently on her cheeks, "Felix where did you find the other flower?"

Her eyes finally focused on him, "Gibbs, it was in my _kitchen_." She said shakily.

"Shit," Gibbs growled. He grabbed her arm and sat her down at his desk, a little more forceful than necessary. He went over to Tony and McGee and grabbed their arms in a vice like grip and started walking, McGee flinched and grimaced as Gibbs started speaking rapidly, "DiNozzo go and get the other flowers from Felix's home, bag and tag." He threw DiNozzo at the elevator. He turned to McGee and said, "I want you and Abby to comb through the evidence, again. I want _everything_ you can find on this guy. See _how_ these people are related. Go over their previous activity in the last four weeks before they died. I want to see where they've eaten, who they've called, what mail they've sent. Everything!" He shouted and threw him into the elevator ramming into DiNozzo as Gibbs stormed back to his desk.

Felix was sitting at his desk, her hands clasping the other on her lap. She was staring down at her feet, wiggling her toes in her shoes, breathing slowly and trying to keep herself from screaming. He walked over to her and kneeled in front of her putting his hands over hers, which were clammy and cold to the touch. He squeezed her hands and she finally looked up at him from her blank stare.

"Felix?" He said softly.

"Hi." She smiled a little lamely, though it was obvious she was trying to sound cheerful.

"Felix, I'm going to put you under protective custody until we get more information on this guy." He said coldly.

Felix shook her head, "No I'll be fine." She smiled.

"Felix," Gibbs said, "I cant know that." He said, squeezing her hand, "Not unless I'm the one watching you."

She chuckled, "Gibbs you can't watch me 24-7."

He shrugged, "You'd be surprised."

"You'll need to sleep." She smiled.

"Only when you do." He smiled back.

"What about going to the bathroom?" She said smugly.

He just smiled, "I'll carry around a coffee can."

"Eeewww." She pulled her hands away and tried to roll the chair further away. He grabbed her and rolled her closer, they laughed softly for a few moments, until Felix leaned her forehead against Gibbs's.

"It will be okay." He said, "_Nothing_ will touch you."

She sighed, "My life is so fucked up." She chuckled.

Gibbs just smiled, "Thats half of the fun." He leaned back and stood.

"For who?" She looked up at him.

He grinned, "For observers."

She chuffed, "Yeah, awesome." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"We need to go talk to Vance." Gibbs said and put out his hand.

"Why?" She said, suspiciously.

He looked down at her, "We need to brief him that you've been unintentionally involved with this case. I don't want to take the risk that this killer hasn't fixated on you. There are no coinidences."

"All right." She said softly and put her hand in his. He helped her up and he put a stabilizing arm on her lower back.

"Plus we need to work out time off and protective custody." He said.

Her head snapped to look at him, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I plan on keeping you underneath my thumb until we get something on this guy -," He started.

"No, I mean, time off." She said, sounding upset.

"I don't want you running around on assignments when this guy is stalking you." Gibbs said. Felix planted her feel firmly and Gibbs almost stumbled when she stopped so abruptly. "What?" He asked.

Felix turned to him and her mouth was in a thin line, her eyes full of fire, "So you'd rather just make it _easy_ for him to find me and just leave me in one place? Cloistered up, until you get a lead? What happens if you _don't_ get a lead? What am I supposed to do?"

Gibbs grabbed her shoulders, "We just need to make sure he's not after you. I'd prefer him toying with you as opposed to having some sort of obsession. Just a few days maybe two weeks max until we get all of our information and go through the leads."

She looked absolutely mortified, "Gibbs I'll go insane sitting around like that. Cant I just help out in Abby's lab? I have lab work background."

Gibbs rose an eyebrow, "What about Dexter? You spend all your time here, we already know this guy can get into your house..."

She scowled at him, "That's low."

"Its the truth." He spat. She straightened up and started walking towards Vance's office with Gibbs trying to catch up. "What are you doing?"

Felix stopped on the stairs and turned around, her face was level with Gibbs's even though he was on a lower stair, "I'm going to talk to Vance. I'm going to petition that I be allowed to work in Abby's lab, lest you lock me in the bell tower in a burlap sack and I end up beating someone to death. I'm going to proceed to beg, maybe even _cry_ if I must, in order to get Vance to let me bring Dexter to work with me, he's meticulously trained as in the Koehler method and he will protect me better than any agents could possibly dream of."

"They have guns." He said as she turned.

She turned back, one more step up, "He has absolute loyalty." She said her face inches from hers, "_I_ have a gun." She growled and made her way towards Vance's office. Gibbs just chuckled and followed her up. Vance may try to convince people that he's not scared of anything, but if Gibbs saw Felix coming into his office with _that_ look in his eye, he'd even run for the hills.


	9. Chapter 9

-9-

The next day, Gibbs walked into the squad room and saw DiNozzo and McGee passed out at their desks with full cups of steaming coffee in front of them. Gibbs smiled and saw that he had one at his desk too. He walked over and sat down and started poking on his computer. He pulled up his email and saw that he had an overload in his mail box. All of them were memos from NCIS so he clicked the button to delete all.

He looked at his coffee and saw the post it note attached to its side. He peeled it off and read it with some difficulty, Felix's script was extremely small.

_I understand what you're trying to do. I appreciate it, but I don't necessarily like it. I don't like feeling like I'm a child. Don't treat me like an idiot and I wont act like one._

_Felix_

_PS: I only spit in it a little bit. :)_

He chuckled lightly and slipped the post it in his pocket and sipped on the coffee. He let McGee and DiNozzo sleep for a few minutes longer, until DiNozzo started to snore.

Gibbs sighed and opened one of his drawers slowly and then slammed it shut with a loud bang. DiNozzo jumped to attention, his eyes wide with confusion. McGee yelped and fell out of his chair onto the floor. Gibbs shook his head and stood up, "Coffee's ready."

"Oh thank god!" DiNozzo said and lunged for his cup.

McGee slowly got off the ground and used the desk to help him stand up straight. He grabbed his cup as well and took a long sip. "Thanks boss." He said groggily.

Gibbs smiled, "Thank Felix, we're going down to Abby's. I want to hear what you have."

"On your si-," DiNozzo yawned, "-x boss!" He sipped his coffee and looked at McGee.

"Email the information to yourself." McGee shook out his stiff extremities, "We'll access it downstairs." DiNozzo nodded and did as McGee said, typing in a few things with McGee echoing and running to catch up to Gibbs who was waiting at the elevator.

They got down to the lab and saw Abby at her work station, typing away at something on one of her monitors. Gibbs looked around and finally made his presence known, "Abby, whe-,"

"SHHHH!" Abby turned quickly, with her finger over her lips. She whispered, "Quiet Gibbs. She's actually sleeping." She tip toed over to the hip high window of his lab with Gibbs, McGee, and DiNozzo following.

Gibbs peered in and saw Felix sleeping on a blow up mattress in Abby's lab. Dexter was curled up around her, but once they all stepped up to the glass, Dexter's head perked up. When he saw Gibbs his tail started wagging uncontrollably and it woke Felix up. She looked up slowly and saw the four faces pressed against the window. They heard her groan and then saw her pull the blanket up over her head. They all chuckled and Gibbs went inside the office to speak with her. Dexter jumped up and went to greet him, licking his hand. He sat down on the bed and pulled the blanket down while Dexter curled up at his feet.

"Morning." He smiled.

"Morning." She said hoarsely, "What time is it?"

Gibbs looked down at his wrist, "About 7:30." She groaned loudly. "When did you get the coffee? It was still hot."

"I think I've only been asleep for like fifteen minutes." She sighed.

He lifted his hand to stroke her hair, but froze. He looked up and saw DiNozzo, Abby, and McGee still peering into the window. DiNozzo and McGee slowly backed away, but Abby stood there, smiling foolishly until a hand reached up, grabbed the shoulder of her lab coat and yanked her back. He chuckled and then let his fingers run through her hair.

"Try to sleep more." He chuckled.

"Why?" Felix said.

He just shrugged, "Nothing going on yet."

She rolled to her side, yawning, "Liar."

He chuckled, "We're going over the evidence."

She looked up at him, saw the pleading look in his eyes and sighed, "All right, I'll stay in here. Let me know when I'm allowed out of the bell tower." She said and laid her head back down on her pillow. Gibbs bent over and kissed her lightly on the cheek and she rolled slowly so her lips could connect with his. Soon enough, her arms were around his neck, his hands were running through her hair and the kiss was heating up. He pulled back, breathing heavily. She just smiled.

"Sleep." He chuckled and tapped her lightly on the head. She just smiled and rolled back onto her side, then her stomach. Gibbs stood and clicked his tongue, signaling Dexter to jump back on the bed and curl up next to his mistress.

He walked out into Abby's lab, watching McGee and DiNozzo who were pointedly looking in other directions, and then there was Abby, staring at him with a huge smile on her face. He simply rolled his eyes at her and then clapped his hands once, loudly, snapping all of them out of their stupor.

"What do we have?" He said quietly.

DiNozzo smiled, "Well boss, we've received about half of the traces we've needed on the etorphine hydrochloride purchases in the state of Virginia. If we don't pull up anything strange on those, we'll expand the search to surrounding states."

"How long?" Gibbs said.

"Probably another six hours." DiNozzo shrugged, "Like I said, I have to contact all legal channels of the sales and then I'll have to investigate illegal ones, but so far, zip."

"Victims?" Gibbs said, starting to pace.

"None of them have really any connection with each other - other than Akina and Jamison of course." McGee added.

"What about with Felix?"

McGee shrugged, "Haven't been able to connect anything."

"Dammit!" Gibbs hissed and desperately wanted to kick out at something. "We need something and we need it _now_." He growled.

"Boss, maybe it was a coin-,"

"DiNozzo, if you value the location of your intestines right now, I suggest you don't finish that sentence." Gibbs glared.

"Yes boss." Tony responded dejectedly.

"Now get back to work. I want _something_ by the end of the day. I don't care what it is," He said as he started walking out of the lab, "But it better be good. One of our agents' life is on the line." He growled and then stomped out.

"This guy might be out of our league." Abby said.

Tony rolled his eyes, "No, he's just good. That doesn't mean he's the best. Just good." He pointed to Abby and McGee, "We need to find something, not for Vance, not for Gibbs..."

"For Felix." Abby said with relish.

"Yea," McGee said. "I'm gonna start combing through financial information again. See if they have anything in common in the past two months." He nodded and ran back up to the squad room.

"I'll go back over family and friends to see if there is anything else I can find that they may have had in common personally." DiNozzo said and followed McGee.

"I'll -," Abby said, freezing. She didn't really have something else to do. She could run the DNA samples again, but there were no positive IDs in any of the law enforcement or military channels. She shrugged, "I guess I'll figure something out." She shrugged and started to pull out the evidence and go over it again.

Felix woke up and checked her clock. She had slept for almost an two and a half hours. She yawned and stretched, with Dexter doing the same next to her. She pulled back the covers and stood up, adjusting her shirt and running her fingers through her hair. Her eyes adjusted and she wiped the sleep from them. She looked out into Abby's lab and it was empty, which was shocking. She slipped her shoes back on and entered into the main lab area and Dexter followed her out.

She smiled widely with him at her side, she was happy that Director Vance was understanding about her nervousness. She had kicked Gibbs out of the meeting with him and admitted that she was scared. She felt safer around her team at work than she would at home by herself. She admitted that she would be happier with Dexter with her at all times, because he was trained to specifically defend her with his life. She knew that he would protect her at all costs and admitted that she didn't know if she could trust other agents to do the same. She trusted her team, but she refused to remove them from their daily work in order to protect her. It was a sense of pride and duty that made her feel that way and Director Vance understood. Thus her hulking black beast trotted by her side through the halls, scaring the living hell out of just about everyone who hadn't met him.

She figured Abby was going through the evidence another time, since Gibbs was sorta losing it over the whole "no leads" thing. Felix was simply trying to keep her mouth shut so that she wouldn't start screaming.

She wasn't sure if she could stop it if she started.

She sat down at the main lab table and took a long, deep breath. She opened her eyes again and looked down at the table and saw the four separate evidence boxes: J. Macuso, J. Huskins, F. Murrieta, and finally A. Huskins. On top of each box was a file folder. She wouldn't dare open the evidence boxes and end up screwing up the investigation, but the file folders were too much for her to resist. She swallowed her sadness and despair, and took them off the boxes, opened them up and spread the pictures out on the remaining room on the table.

She sat there for what felt like an hour, staring at the pictures, trying to force her mind into forming a cohesive thought. She had never been squeamish before, but as she fingered the crime scene photos she had to gulp back her nausea - there was just so much blood. She looked closely at Macuso and Murrieta then at Jamison and Akina, wiping the tears before they could fall down her cheeks.

She took a deep breath and disconnected herself. When she opened her eyes again, she stared at the collage surrounding her.

"Oh my God." She muttered. She jumped up and grabbed the photos and the file contents in a swift motion and ran towards the elevator with Dexter hopping around her, happy for an energetic excursion.

She made her way to Ducky's morgue, bouncing on her toes as the elevator descended to his floor at a snail's pace. When the doors dinged open she burst from them and tore into the autopsy room where Ducky stood over a body, just finishing the last incision signaling the end of his autopsy.

"Well," He smiled and nodded to Jimmy to finish up, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Felix was smiling wide, Dexter at her feet wagging his tail ecstatically and smiling at Ducky with his tongue lolling to the side, "I need a professional opinion."

He removed his face guard, his blood stained apron and gloves and moved to the wash up station and started scrubbing his hands furiously, "About what? I hope not cosmetic surgery my dear, you are far to pretty for that." He chuckled as he finished up.

"Its about the serial cases, the cutter." She said, smiling still.

He looked at her, confused, "I thought Jethro wanted you to keep your distance from that lot."

She shook her head, "Well _Jethro_," She said in a quite accurate accent, "Will just have to unwad his unusually tight undergarments. I think I found something."

He nodded and made his way to his desk, "I don't want to know how tight Jethro's undergarments are, my love. But what do you have for me?" He said, pulling out a chair for Felix to sit at. He looked up but she wasn't there. He saw her move to an empty autopsy table and start unpacking the contents of the files. He made his way over to her.

"Ducky I want you to look at these pictures." She said, splaying them out exactly as she'd laid them. "Tell me what you see." He started repeating, basically verbatim what he had written in the autopsy reports, but Felix started shaking her head, "No, no. Not what _you_ found, but what you _see!_" She said excitedly.

He looked at her, confused, and stared back down at the photos. He shrugged, "I see a lot of cuts. I see a lot of blood."

"Well we know how he did the whole bloodletting thing, but why _these_ cuts?" She said pointing to the pictures.

Ducky turned, concern written on his features, "Darling, I think you've let this get to -,"

"No!" Felix said frantically, jabbing her fingers at the photos. "Look at the cuts Ducky! They aren't just haphazard slashes! They aren't even primary incisions! He wasn't trying to cause minimal pain and maximum bleeding, he was trying to disconnect tissue!" He stared back down at the pictures and looked back at Felix expectantly, "Ducky, these incisions look like a fasciotomy! The connective tissues are cut through to the muscle! They are indefinitely smaller than most fasciotomy incisions but _look_..."

Ducky's eyes got wide, "My God," He muttered, "You're absolutely right. What do you make of that?"

Felix grabbed Ducky's shoulders, "Ducky, these incisions are precise," She tapped the photos of Murrieta and Jamison, "These incisions are deeper and he completely misses all major blood pathways so they wouldn't bleed out until he _wanted_ them to! Ducky this bastard _knows_ what he's doing!" She practically screeched.

Ducky looked into her bright eyes, shining the aqua blue and sea green much more vividly than he'd seen in a while, "You infer that he's a medical professional?"

She nodded, "Yes, if not a doctor than at least someone whose _tried_ to be a doctor." Felix said and then tossed him to the side as he ran to his computer. She sat down and started typing.

"Felix I'm not sure if I have the proper programs for you to do any proper search." He muttered coming up from behind her.

She just kept typing, "Its okay, I'm hacking into Tony and McGee's emails. They sent their shit to themselves before they came down to show Gibbs the evidence. Jamison, Murrieta, Macuso and Akina all lived relatively close to each other. I would venture to say they have the same doctors. I want to see if they've had any interaction at the doctor's office. Maybe there's a crazed resident we've missed. Maybe there's a dissociated schizophrenic homeless person we over looked!" She said excitedly, "I know this guy is close, I can feel it." She yelped happily as she pulled up the information in Tony and McGee's emails. She read for a few minutes in silence with Ducky hovering over her shoulder. She clicked a few more buttons and Ducky's printer hummed to life. She jumped up almost knocking Ducky onto his ass and she ran to his printer, grabbing the folders intending to put them back where they belonged. She grabbed the printed pages and started to run for the door, skidding to a stop and turning quickly, running back to Ducky and throwing her arms around his neck. She plated a wet kiss on his lips. "Thanks Ducky!!" She said ecstatically and then she was gone down the corridor, barks from her companion echoing in the empty halls.

"Well..." Ducky said and turned to Palmer, "That was different." He chuckled and helped Jimmy prep for the next autopsy.

----------

Gibbs returned to the squad room, absolutely beat after the investigation he was on all day. There was another brutal murder of a Marine Corps Captain, however, it wasn't the same M.O. As the bastard after Felix. This captain was dismembered and from what Ducky had reported, it looked like the guy was still alive while it was happening.

He groaned, rubbing his eyes, and stood up to go see Felix in Abby's lab. It was dark now, they'd been trying to scrape up pieces of the Captain for hours and he was sure Felix had probably gotten cabin fever and had ended up doing something silly in Abby's lab, like changing all of Abby's music to Emo pop bands and exchanging her gruesome art for pictures of kittens hanging from trees with the slogan "Hang in there" and perhaps, covering her desk with fluffy pink things that most little girls would go crazy over. All of which made Abby's left eye twitch.

He finally made it to the lab, vowing to get another cup of coffee and thinking about maybe getting one at Felix's house, when he turned the corner and saw Abby leaning over a microscope. The lab was otherwise empty.

"Abby." Gibbs said, walking up close behind her.

She jumped slightly and turned wanting to smack Gibbs but stopping herself, so she simply pinched his arm lightly, "Don't _do_ that!" She growled.

He simply smiled, "How's the review?"

She shrugged, "Nothing new. I'm trying to recover enough DNA to search out to further databases, but everything I pull up seems to be contaminated." She sighed, "I'm frustrated that this guy is thwarting us!" She stomped her foot.

"Thwarted?" He smiled, "Nice vocabulary."

She beamed, "Thank you." She patted him on the shoulder and then turned back to the evidence, "So what are you looking for?"

He smiled, "Not what, but who."

She smiled, "Aren't we all Gibbs?" She chuckled.

"Where's Felix?"

She straightened quickly, "She isn't with you?" Gibbs shook his head, "I haven't seen her for hours!" She said frantically.

He put a hand on Abby's shoulder, "She's probably with Ducky and forgot to check in. I'll go check."

Abby nodded, her brow knitted in concern, "Gibbs tell me _immediately_ when you find her. I'll punch her in the nose."

Gibbs just smiled as she walked out of Abby's lab, but once he was around the corner he ran to the elevator and pressed the button. It said it was on the top floor and Gibbs was basically at the bottom. He cursed vehemently and ran to the staircases, taking stairs two at a time as he rushed to Ducky's lab.

The doors slid open and Gibbs was sweating, his heart was beating furiously and he saw Ducky sitting calmly at his desk, reading through some documents. Alone.

"Ducky." Gibbs said, breathing hard.

"Ah, Jethro." Ducky smiled and turned. When he saw the look at Gibbs's face, his features drooped and he stood up quickly, "What's wrong?"

Gibbs took a deep breath, "Where's Felix? Have you seen her?"

Ducky nodded, "Yes, I have."

Gibbs nodded, "Good." He pulled out his phone and flipped it open to give her a call and yell at her for almost making him give himself a heart attack. Right before he pressed the send button Ducky said something.

"But not for quite some time." Ducky added.

Gibbs froze, "How long? Seconds? Minutes?"

Ducky gulped and shook his head, "Hours Gibbs. I haven't seen her since earlier this morning. Are you saying she hasn't called you?"

Gibbs cursed and kicked at the side of Ducky's washbin, "No!" He started to turn again when he heard his name called again.

"GIBBS! GIBBSGIBBSGIBBS!" Abby was shouting into the small com screen.

Gibbs ran over to the tiny thing and stared at Abby's small little face with Ducky at his side. "What Abby?"

"Um, I cheated, I called her home phone and cell, she's not answering!" Abby said frantically.

"Shit!" Gibbs growled.

He was out of the autopsy room so quickly, devoted to dialing Tony and McGee that he didn't hear Ducky yelling after him. He talked to McGee and DiNozzo, told them to scour the entire building and see if she had checked out at the gate when leaving the Navy yard.

He searched the squad room, contacted Vance, sent some agents out to check her home, but there was nothing. Tony finally called back about thirty minutes later.

"Boss," He sounded serious, "Boss, she checked out around 4:30."

Gibbs slammed his phone shut and looked at the time: it was 7:15 pm.

Felix wasn't answering her calls.

Felix wasn't at home.

Felix wasn't at NCIS.

Felix was missing.


	10. Chapter 10

_This is the last set of chapters for my story. I really hope all of you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you liked, disliked, and if you are interested in hearing more - I have an idea for another story I could write with these characters, but I'm not sure I will go through with it unless people would like to read it. Please, please, PLEASE, review and let me know what you think! Thank you all for reading it and sending me reviews, especially _DesertAire, RotesBlinklicht, and babygurl1944_ for being avid fans! Much love!!!  
_

* * *

-10-

Felix was too excited to wait for the elevator so she took the stairs to the squad room floor. She tore around a corner, almost taking out another officer and skidded to a halt at the sight of her cubicle. No one was there.

"Shit!" She stomped her foot. She went to grab her cell phone and had Gibbs's number pulled up and ready to go, but she stopped herself. She closed her phone, realizing they were probably out on a case and she didn't want to disturb them. She sighed heavily and decided to be proactive instead of sitting on her ass and feeling sorry for herself.

She sat down anyway and opened up the case file for Macuso. She decided to call her mother first.

She answered on the fourth ring, "Hello?" The poor woman sounded beat.

"Hello Mrs. Macuso," Felix said, "My name is Felix Rainier and I was one of the investigators from NCIS on Jennifer's case."

"Oh," She said quietly, "Yes, of course, how may I help you?"

"First of all, I want to tell you how sorry I am for your loss." The words felt dead in her mouth compared to how she really felt, so she continued, "I lost a friend of mine as well..." Felix gulped back her sorrow, "He was the second victim."

The woman sniffled softly over the line, "Yes, well, I am sorry too."

"Thank you," Felix said softly, "I know you've heard most of this before, but I also wanted to ask you a few questions about your daughter."

"Sure, anything I can do to help." She said sweetly.

"Thank you," Felix said, "Was your daughter at all orderly? Or overly organized?"

The woman chuffed lightly, "You mean anal retentive?" She chuckled, "Not in the least. She wasn't _dis_organized. She was just one of those people who found order in chaos. She wasn't messy, but she wasn't clean either."

Felix smiled, "I understand completely," She chuckled. "Did she have a strict schedule?"

Mrs. Macuso was silent for a few moments, "Well she had a schedule. Working out first thing in the morning, then go onto base for work, usually she'd be home around five, usually go grocery shopping for her dinner, sometimes she'd go out with friends."

"Did you speak to her frequently?" Felix asked.

"Well, ever since her father died, Jenny and I have gotten closer," Mrs. Macuso said, "She would call me every few days or come over for dinner, just to catch up and chat."

"Thank you," Felix said highlighting a few things in the case file, "Now was there anything that disrupted her schedule in the weeks before her death?"

Mrs. Macuso sighed heavily, "I know she had gotten sick. She was pretty annoyed that her superior wouldn't give her a few days off to recover and that she couldn't work out. Working out helped her stress levels."

Felix nodded, "Sure, it helps me do the same." Felix paused, listening to the heavy breathing on the line, "One last question," She said, "Is that all right?"

"Yes." Mrs. Macuso said weakly.

"All right," Felix said, "Did she need to go to the doctor for her sickness?"

"I think she said she had started anti-biotics." Mrs. Macuso said, "She may have had a follow up appointment, but I couldn't be sure."

"Thank you," Felix said, "And I really am sorry for your loss."

"And I for yours." Mrs. Macuso said sweetly, "God Bless."

Felix froze for a moment, _what did God have to do with it?_ "Thank you, have a good afternoon." She said and hung up. She grabbed the next folder and opened it up. She picked up her phone and dialed the number for Feliz Murrieta's ex fiance.

The conversation was reserved, maybe even cold, but she understood his reaction. He hadn't received any word from NCIS about leads on his fiance's case. Not that NCIS had any leads until the last few days. He was hesitant to answer her questions and was easily riled up by simple queries. She rushed through her questioning and discovered that Feliz had gone to the doctor about a week before she was murdered as well. She cut off the connection and started rifling through the information on Jamison and Akina.

She struggled a little, staring at the crime scene photos, but forced herself to carry on. Akina and Jamison didn't have anyone to call. It was as if she'd been the only one to know them. And if she died it would be like none of them ever existed.

She took a deep breath and went through Jamison's financials. She found a charge at a pharmacy five days before Jamison died and a ten dollar co-pay for a pediatrician visit the day before that.

Macuso, Murrieta, and the Huskins all visited the hospital between five and seven days before their deaths, or in Akina's case, disappearance. It may not have seemed like a big deal to anyone else, but it was the only lead that Felix had. Each victim had a hospital visit, each victim was asked to take antibiotics, and each victim was murdered in the following week.

But what about Akina? What was so special about her? Why did the killer kidnap her and keep her for a few days before dispatching her? Was it just an obsession? Was is pedophilia? Why kill two older woman, one man, and one child?

She tried to force him into a mold of some serial killer paradigm but there wasn't one for him. It seemed like the ritual was only way that this man expressed himself. He chose a person through the hospital, whether he was a resident, a nurse, or a patient, Felix wasn't sure. He murdered them in a meticulous and bloody fashion. None of them looked alike, none of them had anything directly in common except for being involved in the military, none of them lived in close enough proximity to know each other. It was enough to drive her insane.

The day was winding down, so she made one last call to the hospital. The doctor that had treated Jenny Macuso was still at the hospital and would be until around 8:00 pm.

Felix asked if she could come ask some questions in person. She wanted to get a good look at the hospital and the people that frequented it. She had been to the hospital before, of course, however, this time she'd be much more conscious.

She grabbed her purse, her gun, and her badge and decided to go to the hospital with Dexter on her heels. She'd call Gibbs later, when he was bound to be off of his current case and give him a run down of what she believed was going on. Everyone knows Gibbs didn't like to be interrupted at a crime scene or in an interrogation and she wasn't dumb enough to make that mistake - even when DiNozzo and McGee had originally tried to trick her. She was new, not stupid.

She ran to her car hopped in and got to the hospital in a very short amount of time. She had the case files, which she regretted slightly. She should have made copies of them and left these with the evidence boxes. Thankfully these weren't the only ones in existence.

When she arrived at the hospital, she had to wait a decent amount of time before the doctor could see her. He had to finish the rest of his appointments for the day so Felix took the time to observe.

She watched every face that ran through the hospital. Some of them looked vaguely familiar, some of them were just another face in a sea of unknowns. She watched their eyes, their body language, the way they observed other people.

She desperately tried to find someone who fit the dark silhouette in her mind, but was having no luck. She couldn't make a connection between the dark looking intern, or the older ob/gyn with bad teeth, or the creepy nurse with long spindly fingers. All of them spun around in her mind, making her feel dizzy and nauseous. Her head hurt when the doctor finally came for her. He was a shorter man, only a few inches taller than Felix - but that wasn't saying much. He had sandy blond hair that was thinning on the top, very bushy eye brows, and a clean shaven face. He had very kind, honey colored eyes and a nice smile with a large beaked nose on top of it.

"Hello Agent Rainier." The doctor stuck out his hand, "Gregory Klinger P.h.D."

Felix took his hand, "Thank you Dr. Klinger, and please call me Felix."

"Yes, Felix, please call me Greg." He smiled widely. "So you have a few questions about my patient Ms. Macuso?"

"Yes Greg." Felix said as she followed him into a back hallway towards his office, he opened the door for her and closed it behind her.

"Please have a seat." He motioned to a chair on the other side of his desk. He walked around and waited for Felix to sit before he did.

"Thank you," She said, taking her seat, "I know there is doctor patient confidentiality, however, I do have questions for the investigation. I understand if there are questions you may not feel comfortable answering, however, to solve her murder, we need all the help we can get."

"So there are no leads?" He asked, concerned.

"I wouldn't say no leads, sir, but we want to get as much information as possible." She said and he nodded. "Ms. Macuso came to you a week before her death. Why?"

He shrugged, showing nonchalance, "Well, she seemed to have flu like symptoms. She was worried it would impact her work and daily life so she wanted some strong antibiotics to get rid of it."

"But the flu is resistant to antibiotics, correct?" He nodded. "So what did you do?"

"Well, I told her the same thing basically. I told her to get rest, drink plenty of fluids, you know the drill." Felix nodded and waited for him to continue. "She asked to receive the flu shot, hoping that the shot may stave off any further sickness."

"And you gave her one?" Felix asked.

"Yes, I did. She was quite adamant and I couldn't see any harm in that." He said.

Felix jotted down a few notes, "Did you give her any other medication?"

The doctor was silent for a few moments, thinking pensively, "Well, I offered to write her a prescription for a NyQuil like medication that we have in our pharmacy. Its a little more high powered than regular NyQuil, plus as a Marine, she did receive a discount."

"Sure, so buy it here and get the discount rather than spend a few more dollars at a drug store." Felix said, jotting a few more things down.

"Yes, correct." The doctor said.

"Did you administer the flu shot?" She asked.

He shook his head, "No the resident nurse did."

"Do you remember which nurse?"

He jutted out his upper lip, thinking hard, "In all honesty, not at the top of my head, but I can see if one of the nurses can pull that up for you."

"Thank you." Felix smiled, "One more thing, did she have any blood work done?"

He shook his head, "No, we simply did a swab, to ensure it wasn't H1N1 Influenza, and I told her to come back in a week so we could follow up."

"Did she come back before her death?" Felix said.

"No, she did not. I believe our lab called her with he results maybe three days afterwards and reported that she was fine. She most likely had a small bug of some sort - like the common cold - and that the flu vaccine would most likely hold off any chance of something worse setting in." He said.

"Do you know if she took the prescription?" She asked.

"In all honesty, no." He shook his head, "But you can easily check with the pharmacy." The doctor said, pulling out a pen and paper, "I'll call down there and write you a note so they know they can talk to you."

"Thank you Greg." Felix smiled. "I appreciate it."

He nodded and handed her a sheet of paper and made a quick call to the pharmacy downstairs, telling them a NCIS agent would be down shortly and they should answer any appropriate questions about Ms. Macuso's prescription. He put down the receiver, "Anything else?"

"I would just like to talk to the nurse who administered the shot, if thats all right?" She said.

"Of course." He jotted down his cell phone number and handed her his card, "May I have one of yours? I will talk to my resident nurse today, but I'm not sure when I can get an answer. The hospital is busier lately because of flu season and the holidays nearing."

Felix nodded and took out her card, "Of course. It has my work number on there and any message you leave will be forwarded to my cell." She stood up and the doctor did as well, "Thank you very much Greg. This has been very helpful."

He stuck out his hand and Felix took it, "No problem. I hope that you can catch the murderer." She nodded and left.

She checked with the nurses to see when Murrieta's doctor and the pediatrician that handled Akina would be in. The nurse at the station said they would be in tomorrow morning and that Felix should call tonight and leave a message. Maybe she could get an appointment with them tomorrow afternoon to discuss the case.

Felix happily left the hospital, walking slowly through the automatic doors, enjoying the wind whipping around her as it rushed inside, as if needing dire medical attention. She went back to the parking garage, where she left Dexter in her car with the windows cracked generously - the perfect theft deterrent: a 100 plus black monster, with a mouth perfectly sized to fit your throat, and a bark that sounded like a thunder storm.

She was so excited to get back to NCIS with her news. It could have been nothing, but it may have been something. If all of them were sick, it would have been easier for their captor to over power them. The doctor could have been mistaken, or Jenny Macuso could have lied about how bad the sickness really was. Perhaps Felix Murrieta and Jamison got flu shots as well. What if it was a bad batch? What if they got sicker _because_ of the vaccine?

Her mind was reeling as she got to her car. Dexter was in the back seat, sticking his head out the partially opened window. She stuck her hand in and pet him softly on the head. "Hello boy." She smiled and he licked her hand. "Did you eat any criminals trying to steal my iPod? I bet you did you big beast." She said playfully reaching in her purse to grab her keys.

When she pulled her hand out, he started barking.

"Dexter?" She said, but her phone started to buzz, "Dexter quiet!" She commanded as she reached in her pocket and pulled out the phone. "Dexter!" She yelled, but he continued to bark furiously, clawing at the window and slavering like the hounds of hell. She flipped open her phone and saw Gibbs's name, just as she felt the needle inserted into her neck.

"He was only trying to warn you." A deep voice said softly in her ear.

Felix instantly felt her eye lids start to droop and her body went slack. _No, not yet,_ She thought as the lights dimmed and she lost consciousness.

Felix woke with a start and a pounding head ache. Her arms were suspended above her head and she was hanging, limply from them. It was dark in the room and she could make out vague shapes surrounding her, but that was about it.

Her mouth was dry and her body prickled with disuse. She put more weight on her feet and realized only the balls of her feet touched the floor completely. Whatever was holding her up was strong enough to hold around 115 pounds.

She yanked on the chains, making a disturbing rattling noise that echoed in her head and intensified the blinding pain behind her eyes. She sighed and pulled herself up on the chains, trying to get a better look at what was holding her.

She had on a pair of thick metal shackles, the kind people used to keep in dungeons in the dark ages. The shackles themselves were attached by pad lock to a chain that went to the ceiling. She almost laughed out loud. _Just a simple pad lock, you can do this_. She thought and lowered herself back onto the balls of her feet.

She started thinking about all the hidden things in her clothes that could be used as a lock pick and thats when she realized she was naked.

"FUCK!" She yelled as loud as possible. _Gibbs, he'll find me. Abby, McGee, and DiNozzo are the best of the best. They'll find me. You'll be okay._ She thought frantically, _Why does this kind of shit _always_ happen to me?_

She suddenly remembered her discussion with Ducky, calling the parents and fiance of the victims, looking at the files, the trip to the doctors, and finally the journey to her car. She cursed herself vehemently, she was _always_ so vigilant, but she was distracted by her thoughts and by Dexter barking. That should have been her _first_ clue that something was wrong. Then, she finally remembered the flowers.

_Oh, shit._ She thought. She looked up and saw a rectangle outlined by light, floating in her vision. It slowly opened and more light flooded in. Felix hissed and shut her eyes, the brightness intensified the pain shooting through her head.

She opened her eyes slowly, watching as a shadow moved across the floor. It was closer to her now, within arms length. The man was tall and well built but she couldn't see his features because of the back light. She decided to act the coward.

"W-w-what do you want?" She whimpered. The only response was a slight chuckle. "I don't have any money and I have no family or friends. You wont get a ransom for me. So what do you want?" She said, forcing tears out of her eyes.

"I don't want money." He said and Felix vaguely recognized the voice.

She forced out the tears again, "Then why?" She sobbed.

A hand came down hard across her cheek, "Stop with the theatrics." He growled. Felix looked up at him with the tears already drying, replaced by blinding anger.

"Why?" She finally growled.

"Oh my dear," He said, chuckling, "What a silly, silly little girl" He said, clicking his tongue reproachfully.

Felix inhaled sharply and focused all of her energy inward. She built up her rage and finally lashed out, lifting herself with her arms and kicking out at him sharply. She heard something crack, but wasn't sure if it was his teeth clamping together, his nose breaking, or - God willing - his neck snapping. He went down and Felix slightly relaxed.

He was up quickly and pinned her against the cold, damp wall of wherever the hell she was. She just felt the jagged, rough surface behind her, scratching against her skin. His entire body pressed into her, his hips pinning hers to the wall, splaying her legs on either side of him. Her arms were stretching to their limits, the tendons screaming for release, his face between her arms, only inches from hers. She felt his hot breath on her mouth.

"I don't want money." He laughed again and cupped his hand over her breast, pinching the nipple painfully, she grit her teeth to keep from screaming, "I've only wanted one thing this entire time." He smiled and his hand moved from her breast and rummaged in his pockets. Felix felt the needle puncture her skin one more time. "_You._" He said.

Felix felt the scream build inside of her, but her eyes closed before she could expel the air and her body slumped.


	11. Chapter 11

-11-

The sound of a phone shattering against the brick wall was enough to silence an entire NCIS agency. Gibbs sat down at his desk, his hands clasped in front of his face and his index fingers pressing against his lips. He was staring at his desk, still as stone. No one would have believed the outburst came from him, except for the fact that half of them just witnessed it.

"Boss?" DiNozzo said softly, but Gibbs didn't respond, he was starting to shake. "Boss we'll find her."

Gibbs shot up from his desk and cornered Tony, "Well let's hope its not too late." He growled and stormed away, he finally shouted over his shoulder when he was at the elevator, "I'll be back and I want _something_ by then."

Tony scrambled off as Gibbs got into the elevator. Once the doors closed and the car moved, he flipped the off switch and turned, punching the wall so hard that he heard a sickening crunch and dented the metal siding. He was breathing hard, his head reeling as he looked down at his hand and realized he'd dislocated a finger. He popped it back into place with a crack and leaned his forehead against the cold metal.

It was ten o'clock in the morning and he hadn't seen Felix for almost eighteen hours and there'd been no sign of her for eight. They'd traced her steps but found no absolute leads. Her house was empty and stale since she'd been staying at the office or with Gibbs every night since they discovered the flower debacle.

Gibbs was missing her terribly. There was a hole in his chest that seemed to grow larger and hurt more with each breath he took, thinking that he may not see her again, or if he did, it'd be on an autopsy table. He pounded the wall again, but with the side of his fist, his finger still throbbing in defiance. He thought about her face, her body, her smile, and it was unbearable. Every time he shut his eyes, he could see her face, smiling up at him, or if she was pissed, shooting daggers with her eyes. The way her lip would jut out ever so slightly when she was upset. The hole was starting to get bigger.

His hand shot out and he flipped the elevator back on and made his way to Abby's lab. There was no music blaring and the silence ringing in his ears was worse than the crap she usually played. He turned the corner and saw Abby sitting on the floor.

"Hi Abbs." Gibbs said somberly.

At that moment, Abby jumped up and ran at him. Abby threw her arms around his neck and instantly started crying.

"Gibbs I cant take it!" She said into his neck.

He squeezed her tighter, "I know." He said, keeping his own emotions to himself.

"We need to find her." She cried.

"We will." Gibbs said and Abby cried for a few more moments.

"Gibbs please save her." Abby said weakly.

"I will." He said and kissed her forehead. "I will find her." He said sternly.

Abby pulled back, her eyes a little red, but devoid of makeup. Even her lips were a soft pink. He cradled her face in his hands and smiled as he wiped away a single tear that escaped her eye.

"She'll be all right." Gibbs said.

"But -," Abby started.

"JETHRO!" Ducky yelled as he entered the forensics lab.

Abby and Gibbs jumped and turned to look at Ducky who was slightly red-faced and breathing heavily, "What?!" They both responded, annoyed.

"I'm been searching for you all damned day!" He growled, "Where the hell is your cell phone?"

Gibbs felt his anger rise, "Its in pieces somewhere in the squad room."

Ducky rolled his eyes, "Well you need to get yourself a new one!" He spat back and walked closer, clutching his chest, "I may be having a heart attack! I've been running around everywhere! I couldn't even find Tony and McGee!"

"Ducky _what_ is so damn important?" Gibbs growled impatiently.

"It's about Felix." Ducky admitted and both Abby and Gibbs bestowed him with their rapt attention. "She came into my office, yesterday afternoon, the last time I or anyone else had seen her, talking about a theory she had about the killer."

"And?" Gibbs snarled, "This is no time to be theatrical Ducky!"

Ducky snarled in response, "I'm trying to breathe normally so I don't have a stroke, damn you!" He spat, "She came to me with a theory, the cuts on the bodies were precise and resembled a particular incision that is used in the medical community to relieve tension and pressure on muscles and other tissues - a fasciotomy."

"So?" Abby said, while Ducky took a breath.

"_SO_," Ducky said angrily, "So, she thinks that the killer could be someone in the medical community. She said she wanted to investigate the fact that the victims had all been to the doctors recently." He took another breathe, "Looking at the autopsy photos again, something I put into my report but didn't seem pertinent was needle marks on the victims upper right arms."

"Wasn't that where they were drugged?" Abby asked.

"No!" Ducky responded frantically, "Macuso, Murrieta, and Jamison Huskins had puncture marks on their necks and their arms, Akina only had the puncture mark on her neck. Macuso, Murrieta and Jamison received a shot of something other than etorphine hydrochloride before they died."

"Flu shot?" Gibbs said.

"Perhaps, I just know that Felix may have gone to the hospital in order to interview the Doctors and get the information on it." Ducky said. "I called the Doctors of the victims this morning and only Macuso's doctor reported discussing this with Felix. The rest of them had received phone calls from her about setting up more appointments, but they haven't heard back from her." He finished. "She believes the killer to be a medical professional and if she was actually on to something, the killer obviously grabbed her!"

"How could the flu shots be a lead?" Gibbs asked, even though his famous gut was twitching with excitement.

"There's a chance Jethro that the shots could have been debilitating. All of the bodies turned up had signs of previous illness - not serious, but something like the flu: clogged nasal passages, stiff muscles, slight corrosion of the esophageal canal, indicating vomiting. Perhaps the injection was intended to _make_ them sick and easier to target."

"Jesus." Gibbs went to grab his phone and growled at his own stupidity. He ran over to Abby's phone and called DiNozzo.

"DiNozzo." He responded after a single ring.

"DiNozzo, I want you to do a background check on every single person employed by the hospital. I want intensive backgrounds on the doctors and nurses associated with our victims. I dont care _what_ you need to do, but just _do_ it!" He yelled. "What about the purchases of Etorphine Hydrochloride?"

"McGee's just pulling the information up now." Tony said and handed off the phone.

"Boss, we've got some veterinarians and some of the workers at the zoo registered here. I'm running financials and background on them now, but I can already tell you there is one here that stands out." McGee said.

"Why?"

"Well, he isn't a long time purchaser like the others are and he only purchased half of the amount that the other vets have." McGee said.

"Name?" Gibbs demanded.

"A Dr. Aaron David." McGee said.

Gibbs growled, "Pull up the information, I'm coming up." He slammed down the phone and then grabbed Abby, "Were going to find her." He said and then grabbed Ducky's arm firmly, "Thank you Ducky."

"You're welcome Jethro. Go get the bastard and bring our girl back." He said gruffly.

Gibbs sprinted out of the room, ignoring the elevator and getting up the stairs in record time. When he got to the squad room, his muscles were burning, but he was barely breathing hard. Adrenaline was kicking in and he felt like he was moving at a speed faster than the rest of the world.

McGee was typing furiously at his desk. "What do you got McGee?" Gibbs said going automatically to McGee's side and looking at his computer screen.

"Financials for Aaron David only started turning up in the past few weeks. We have the purchases of Etorphine but not much else. Food. Gas. Some cash withdrawals, but thats about it." McGee muttered, "He doesn't have a drivers license, but he does have a social security card." McGee typed in a few things.

"No results so far on a criminal record for anyone in the hospital!" DiNozzo added, "But Metro is helping me out."

Gibbs waved him off and motioned for McGee to continue, "All right pulling up social security information..." Gibbs walked in front of the large LCD screen and a picture popped up.

"Holy shit." Gibbs said, taking a deep breath.

"Erik Samuels... He's a-,"

"He's an RN." Gibbs muttered, "He was Felix's fucking nurse when she was in the hospital!" He ran to his desk and pulled out his badge and gun, "McGee I want _everything_ you've got on this guy, NOW!" He slammed the drawer shut, "DiNozzo, you're with me. We're going to the hospital." Gibbs said and made his way to the elevator with DiNozzo tailing him.

"You think this is the guy?" DiNozzo said to a silently fuming Gibbs.

"I got a feeling." He said quietly, "If he doesn't have Felix, he knows where she is." Gibbs growled.

The elevator opened to the garage and Gibbs practically ran to the car and opened up the door. He jumped in and started the car while DiNozzo was still climbing in. They zoomed out of the garage at break neck speed, not slowing down for anything. Gibbs was swerving around other cars and speeding through red lights, laying on the horn to clear the cars, while Tony held onto the "Oh Shit" bar for dear life, one foot up against the dash board.

They pulled up the hospital and parked in the section usually reserved for emergency vehicles and ran in. They walked up to the front desk and the nurse was already glaring at them.

"You can't park there." She growled.

Gibbs flashed his badge, "Yes I can. I need to check to see if one of your personnel is here today."

"What gives you-,"

"HEY!" Gibbs shouted, slamming his palms down on the counter top making a very loud noise that jostled the woman out of her dominating exterior and put a look of shock and fear into her eyes, "I need to know where this guy is," He motioned for Tony, who brought up his iPhone and showed the lady the picture of Erik, "Right now." He finished with such venom that the woman looked as if she may cry.

She started typing into her computer, "That's Erik Samuels." She said and typed some more and stared at her computer screen, "He's on leave right now." She said, "Has been for about a week."

"When will he be back?" DiNozzo said.

The woman shrugged, "He's supposed to be back at work by next Tuesday." Gibbs grunted and ran out of the hospital with Tony giving a very abbreviated "Thank You" to the receptionist

Gibbs ran to the car but stopped before he entered and looked around, waiting for something to click in his mind. Thats when he heard something. Barking.

They had put out a BOLO on Felix's car and asked all agencies in the area to report if they had noticed any suspicious activity and seen a female matching Felix's description, but nothing turned up. Obviously, important but not a priority was that Dexter was missing.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted and started running towards the parking garage. On the first floor, in the corner, he could hear the booming barks of the one and only Dexter.

Gibbs kept his pace as he approached the car and signaled for Tony to call in back up and Animal Control. "Has he been here all night?" DiNozzo asked, breathily, with a phone to his ear.

Gibbs nodded, "I'd assume so. He does not look happy." They watched as Dexter growled and snarled, clawing at the windows. The dog was vicious as he clawed at the back windows, which were chipped and covered in blood.

"No, no he does not." Tony said before starting his conversation with Animal Control.

They arrived in a few minutes and attempted to get Dexter out of the car. Every time someone approached Dexter would continue his fusillade of snarls and barks. They tried twice to get a snare through the window and around Dexter's neck, but it lasted about seven seconds, until Dexter compressed his large jaws around the solid metal tube and snapped it in two.

Sighing, Gibbs grabbed a leash and made his way towards the car. He approached the vehicle easily. Dexter continued to bark but then stuck his nose out and calmed almost immediately and started whining as Gibbs stuck his arm through the window and attached a leash. As he expected, when he opened the car door, Dexter bolted out and yanked against the leash with utmost urgency. He succeeded in dragging Gibbs in the direction Felix was taken, Dexter's nose to the ground, but the trail ended in an empty parking space. Animal control suggested that they sedate the dog and Gibbs assented so that they could clean up his paws and take out the bits of broken glass.

They treated everything like a crime scene and scoured the entire area. Gibbs helped for a while until he couldn't take it anymore. It was too clean. Nothing inside her car was disturbed. There was no sign of a struggle and it was driving him insane. He called Abby and told her to come get Dexter and keep him in her lab until further notice. She readily agreed and said she'd give him a home as long as he needed one.

Gibbs was back in the car, revving up the engine while Tony followed and called McGee asking for Erik's home address. DiNozzo read it out and Gibbs pressed the pedal almost through the floor as they flew to Erik's apartment.

"Don't we need a warrant?" DiNozzo muttered pathetically.

Gibbs gripped the steering wheel, "Not when this asshole has one of my team." He tried to go a little bit faster, "Tell McGee to get one anyway, for purchasing a large amount of contraband substance without a license - make sure this warrant just so happens to allow us to search for other things he may have hidden."

"On it." DiNozzo said and repeated it into the phone.

"Give me a few hours." McGee said into the phone.

"You have about 48 seconds with the way the boss is driving." DiNozzo said and disconnected the call.

They pulled up to apartment complex and parked haphazardly in front of the building where Samuels lived. Gibbs drew his gun and nodded at DiNozzo, "I want this guy alive." Gibbs growled, "We need to know where Felix is before I choke the life out of him."

"On it. Alive. Choking TBA." DiNozzo muttered as they ran up the stairs to the second level.

They came to unit 54 where Erik lived. They knocked and DiNozzo announced himself just in time for Gibbs to kick in the door. It flew back, splintering the door jamb with chunks of wood flying all over the small foyer. DiNozzo charged in first, gun drawn as he surveyed the front room. Gibbs moved around him and checked the kitchen and bathroom. They made their way down a short hallway and saw the door at the end of the hall. It was closed so they took position on either side of it. DiNozzo knocked and announced himself and Gibbs opened the door leveling his gun, ready to pull the trigger and take out the fucker's knees.

There was no one there.

"Damnit!" Gibbs yelled and kicked at the door, putting a big dent in it, "Get McGee on the phone. We need to know about any property this bastard owns. Get a team down here, I want this whole place quarantined, bagged and tagged." He shouted and exited the apartment. He stood outside and sat on the top stair. His hands were shaking with fury and he felt his chest tighten. The hole was getting bigger as he tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down. He put his face in his hands and closed his eyes and he saw her face. Every time he fucking blinked he'd get a flash of her: smiling at him, winking at him, dancing, beneath him...It was maddening.

"Boss?" DiNozzo said softly. Gibbs looked up at him, his face worn and tired. For the first time, ever, DiNozzo realized that Gibbs looked _old_. "McGee is running more checks on Samuels. He's running his social security, credit cards, drivers license number, and anything else he can think of. Abby's helping so we should have something soon."

"All right." Gibbs said. He needed to move but he had nothing to _do_ yet.

"Let's head back to NCIS." DiNozzo said and put out his hand. Gibbs took it and DiNozzo helped him up. "Boss we'll get him."

Gibbs shook his head and pat DiNozzo on the shoulder, "I don't give a shit about him. I want her." He tossed DiNozzo the keys and started walking down the steps. "You drive. I need coffee." DiNozzo nodded and followed his God down the stairs, seeing his shoulders slumped for the first time in forever.

When they got back to the squad room McGee and Abby were furiously typing away at their computers, while Tony made numerous phone calls. Gibbs just felt numb. He sat at his desk, staring at his keyboard, spelling out Felix's name over and over in his head, and sipping coffee. He tried to reach out his tendrils to make connections like he usually did but he was coming up dry.

Samuels definitely had this planned out and he was executing it perfectly. Gibbs felt the bile rise in his throat. He just hoped that Felix was strong enough to make it through this and that Samuels was sick enough to keep her around for a while. He felt his stomach clench at the thought.

Poor Felix who had suffered enough in her life time was now in the hands of a serial murderer and rapist. A man who could kill a four year old just for the hell of it, just to get closer to his ultimate goal. He let out a deep breath and realized the hole in his chest had basically taken over his entire upper body cavity. He even felt light headed. He had the strangest feeling in his chest, like his heart was slowing down, like it didn't care to beat anymore. He had only felt this one other time in his life... When he'd lost -,

"BOSS!" McGee yelled, jumping out of his chair. Everyone jumped as well, terrified by McGee's outburst.

Gibbs just looked up at him calmly, "What?"

"I've got something!" He smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

-12-

Felix woke up, her body screaming at her while she gasped for breath.

She realized she was now lying on her back, her hands still cuffed together above her head, pulled tight so she could barely move them. She moved her legs, which was a mistake. She yelped loudly, her body felt like it had been torn up the middle. She felt the shackles on her ankles, pulling her legs apart, and lifted her head to look down at her body. She bit her lip, lying her head back and trying not to cry.

Her body was covered in bruises and bite marks and she felt the tug of the skin on her hip from being shallowly cut many times. The tears started streaming down her face and she knew that her face must be pretty busted up as well, because crying even hurt. The tears stung her bruised cheek, her lips cracked and she could taste the blood on her tongue. Her vision was blurry on her left side, and she assumed her eye was bruising up or clogged with blood.

This was probably the worst time she'd ever been raped. She let out a rueful bark of laughter at that thought. _Who says that? _She thought bitterly. _Who gets raped more than one time in their life by multiple assailants? _The crying continued and she felt sobs coming along, but she bit down on her lip even harder to keep them in. She already figured out that he liked when she cried, when she screamed. Any time she showed any sort of pain or fear in her eyes, he enjoyed destroying her that much more.

She took a deep breath and exhaled shakily, coughing furiously. She turned her head to the side and spat over her arm. She saw little droplets of blood mixed in with her saliva. She closed her eyes and faced the ceiling. _You will not break_. She thought to herself._ You can either stand up for yourself and fight back, get him to kill you faster, or you can succumb to this and let _it_ win. _She took a deeper breath and thought of Gibbs, her heart breaking. She prayed that her tormenter would kill her and hopefully burn her body. She didn't want Gibbs to see her like this. Bloody. Destroyed. _Ruined. _Indistinguishable was better than any of those options. She didn't know how long she'd been there, but she felt death coming soon. She sent out mental signals to Abby, DiNozzo, and McGee, telling them she loved them and that she'd always watch over them. She thought about Gibbs and felt the tears come back. She didn't want it to end like this, but it wasn't his fault, he _had_ saved her when they first met - okay maybe not the _first _time - he had given her a friendship that she cherished and she would miss the most. She loved him.

Thats when she heard the door open and she slumped her body against the mattress. She'd taken to becoming docile and rubbery when he came in. She tried fighting back many times and he just seemed to enjoy it. Now, she just let her limbs go slack and she would stare to the side, refusing to look him in the eye as he defiled her.

She felt him climb on top of the bed and straddle her stomach. He moved his hands slowly over her breasts which felt bruised and sore. He tugged on a nipple.

She inhaled sharply and he started chuckling. He grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. His smile was wide and his eyes were pits of emptiness.

"How are you faring today darling?" He smiled and slapped her playfully on the cheek. She didn't respond. "Awe the old silent treatment?" He said and leaned down, kissing her softly on the lips, "But you know how much I enjoy hearing you scream for me." He chuckled, slapping her again, a little harder this time.

"Fuck you." She growled. "You're going to die and I'm going to be the one to kill you." She said and spat in his face.

He looked shocked and wiped the saliva and blood from his cheek, "I'm sorry Felix but thats not going to work for me." He smiled and punched her solidly in the jaw. Felix grimaced and then looked up at him, mustering as much fire as she could. She wouldn't die letting him feel like he got the best of her.

Erik was surprised by the darkness in her eyes when she looked back at him, "Tough shit. I'm _going_ to fucking kill you and I'm going to enjoy it much more than you enjoy raping me. I mean, you could barely get it up last time. What's wrong? Mommy issues?" She smiled, her teeth bloody.

"Shut up bitch!" He growled and punched her again.

She laughed, spitting blood, "I guess I hit a sore spot." She smiled and looked up at him again, "What, did daddy poke you as a child? Did mommy do nothing to protect you? She just shot up every time daddy or your uncles tried to tear you a new asshole."

"Shut up!" He yelled and grabbed her throat, squeezing it slowly. She looked up at him, with nothing in her features but hatred as he continued to squeeze the life out of her.

Felix felt her body jerk from the lack of oxygen, wanting to fight death, though in all honesty, she gladly welcomed it. His face was a mask of rage and he squeezed her neck and punched her in the face, splitting her other cheek. She looked back up at him, with her last breath, she gave him a look of utter hatred, challenging him.

The mask of rage faded and he smiled slowly and pulled his hand from her neck. "Oh Felix, its not that easy." He chuckled as Felix coughed and gasped for breath, his weight on top of her not helping. "When I kill you, it will be slow and painful, and I'll rape you as you bleed out on the sheets around us." He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, "I cant wait for it."

"Why not just kill me you little prick? You wont be able to get it up when you want to anyway, especially with that pathetic excuse for a dick," She yelled, "I bet you pissed all over yourself when you killed the others." She rasped, her throat scratchy from the lack of oxygen, "You even had to drug them so they didn't fight back. You couldn't even fight Jamison like a man because you were _scared_." She growled. He threw another punch, this time to her stomach and she coughed again, laughing, "You raped a four year old girl!" She kept laughing, "Is that cause you don't know how to fuck a woman your own age? None of them want you because of your _pathetically_ infantile prick?" She kept laughing. He got off of her and off the bed and walked over to the side table. Felix continued laughing as he paced around the room, his footfalls heavy and determined.

The bed creaked and he sat on top of her again and pressed the knife tip into the underside of her breast. She hissed in a breath but refused to cry out, "Oh yeah you liked that huh?" He spat and dug it in a little deeper, drawing blood. "I plan to gut you, fuck you, and then leave you on display you pathetic little bitch." He growled. He sat up straight and looked down at her, pressing his finger against the cut and then licking the blood from his fingertips. He moaned softly, "You know, I've been imagining this since the day I met you." He said and let it sit for a few beats, "You laid there in that see through hospital gown, your glorious little body just perky and waiting for me," He visibly shivered, "It was almost too much for me to handle." He caressed her body softly, "I've been waiting for the day I could be with you," He said sweetly, "But then you went and contaminated yourself with that scum, Gibbs." He growled and slapped her, "Thats what you get for being a whore."

Felix sorta lost it right then, "You piece of shit!" She growled, "You aren't even a quarter of the man Gibbs is you pathetic, dickless, little fucker!" She yelled, "He's strong, smart, and a _great_ fuck, and you are nothing but a fucking faggy little coward! You deserve years of torment, rape, and violence and Gibbs will be the one to give it to you. You may not think so, but he will. Even if I die, he'll put you in the darkest deepest pit of a prison he can find and make sure _every_ inmate knows what a pathetic little child molesting bitch you are!" She screamed with so much intensity that he actually fell back on his hands, his eyes wide open and his mouth gaping with shock. His lip trembled slightly and Felix just smiled, "Awwwwe, is momma's wittle boy gonna _cwy_?" She said patronizingly.

He let out a brutal and pained scream and he wailed on her body with his fists. She felt her nose break and blood start pouring down her over her mouth, she felt something stretch abnormally in her shoulder, a rib cracked, she may have chipped a tooth, but he just kept going and Felix relished in the pain, how fast it started to dull, and how soon death would come.

She barely even felt it when he raped her that time. Her eye was officially swollen shut and she felt throbbing all over her body, maybe it was from torn muscles, maybe it was from an open wound, either way she hoped for death. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being able to kill her slowly...

Felix sputtered, pins and needles were pricking at her skin as she gasped for air. She was suddenly freezing and her muscles automatically seized up. She worried she'd go into shock.

_Is this death?_ She thought absently as her mind began to fade.

She felt the coldness in her mouth and it was refreshing. Ice water. The prick had doused her with it because she'd passed out.

"Wake up bitch." He growled, but his voice cracked slightly. He was trying to sound tough but it seemed like he had been crying.

"What day is it?" Felix said groggily.

"Does it matter?" He chuckled, "No, it doesn't cause tonight is the night where I make everything right." He chuckled, "You were _supposed_ to see _me_ that night in the hospital, but you let that old man defile you. Now you are worthless to me." He growled and slapped her.

That plus the ice water put some fight back in her, "You're the worthless one. Are you going to kill yourself? Or will you and your insignificant penis try to pretend you can get away with this and live the rest of your miserable life in a jail cell getting gang raped?"

Another slap and that one stung. He stood at the side of his bed and undressed. Felix let out a soft chuckle when he removed his pants, just to remind him of how unimpressive he was. He climbed on top of her, with the knife in his right hand, and placed his other hand on her breast.

"I'm going to enjoy this." He growled, and squeezed her breast savagely.

"At least one of us will." She spat, grimacing, "Gibbs has a _much_ bigger dick than you do, pussy." She growled.

He fisted a hand in her hair and pulled tight, tilting Felix's head back and she grit her teeth to keep the tears back. "I cant wait to kill you."

She smiled, "Looks we have something in common. Killing you will make everything worth it."

He chuckled and laid himself on top of her and forced his mouth upon hers. She tried to bite him, but every time she did, he pressed the tip of the knife against her side, just enough to hurt and draw a little blood. She'd yelp and he'd push his tongue in, dying to taste her mouth. He positioned himself at her entrance and pushed in.

Felix couldn't help the scream that came from her lips and it only drove him to be more brutal with his thrusts. He was groaning as he moved inside of her and she felt the tears start streaming down her face.

All at once, the pain stopped and she felt as if she were standing to the side, watching his assault on her body. His finger tips dug into her bruises and he bit savagely at her neck and breasts, but Felix couldn't feel a thing. She wanted to scream, to fight him off, but she couldn't, her entire system had shut down as if to shield her from this one last incursion on her flesh. She could still feel the tears and they flowed down her face, thinking of all the things she would not see. She would not see Abby and McGee officially declare their relationship, she would not see DiNozzo finally get a girlfriend he could manage to keep, she would not see Ducky, or Dexter, or Jimmy. She would never see them again. Most painfully though was her loss of Gibbs. She would never be able to say good-bye or thank him for some of the greatest nights of her life. She would never get to kiss him or admit that she loved him. She would never get to be a mother. The pain of that was so overwhelming that she forgot about Erik and just put her face in her hands to silently cry.

He finished soon after that and pulled out of her, punching her face again and laughing. That's when Felix was knocked out of whatever hole her psyche shoved her awareness into. She was back in her body and everything hurt.

Erik slowly caressed her cheek with the back side of his hand, "Enjoy that my love?" He said, sitting on the side of the bed.

"Eat shit and die." She said, with blood dripping down her chin.

"Not tonight babe." He chuckled and stood up off the bed he pulled on a pair of pants and grabbed the knife he had placed on the side table. "You know the best part of all this?" He said walking around the bed, "I plan on slicing open your femoral artery and letting you bleed out, taking pictures of your demise. After you've finally perished," He said, almost giggling like a child, "I'm going to leave you on a certain gentleman's newly completed boat. Perfect, wouldn't you say?"

Felix pulled against her chains, "No!" She murmured past the blood pooling in her mouth.

"Why in God's name do you think _you_ have a say in this?" He laughed, "I want that son of a bitch to suffer with the fact that he killed you. He took you away from me. You died because he's a selfish old bastard." He growled and climbed onto the bed, between her splayed legs. He put the knife down between her legs and prodded her gently with the tip. "I cant wait to see his face when he finds your bloody corpse in his basement, tarnishing his new boat." He chuckled and climbed off the bed again. "Well, without further ado..." He said and pressed the knife blade against her inner thigh. "I will miss you sweet Felix."

"I'll see you in hell." She growled and spat a copious amount of blood on his chest.

"Wait for me." He smiled and pressed the knife into thigh, breaking the skin before he dragged it through the artery.

"FREEZE!" Someone yelled and he stopped. Felix thought she may have been imagining things in the moment before her death, but it sounded like Gibbs. "Put the fucking knife down!" He bellowed again.

Erik turned to the door and saw Agent Gibbs, Agent DiNozzo and Agent McGee standing in the hallway, pointing their guns at him.

"Welcome to my ancestral home." Erik smiled.

"Drop the fucking knife Samuels!" McGee yelled, surprising just about everyone.

"Well look at him, acting all tough." Erik smiled, twisting his hand slightly, digging a little deeper into Felix's skin, causing her to cry out.

"Samuels, I have no need for you anymore," Gibbs growled, "We've found Felix and I'm perfectly ok with saying I killed you in self defense."

"You would just love that wouldn't you Gibbs?" Erik grinned, "Too fucking bad Felix wont be around to thank you." He said and tensed his muscles to drag the knife across her leg.

Gibbs squeezed off a shot and thats when time sped up. The bullet hit Erik in the shoulder, causing him to let go of the knife, but once the knife slipped from his grasp he jumped off the bed and ran towards the opposite wall and hit it with full force, opening up a doorway to some sort of passageway.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted and then took off after Erik.

DiNozzo holstered his gun and ran up to Felix. He tore off his jacket and threw it over her very naked and very bloody body. McGee called out for bolt cutters and numerous agents started flowing in. "We need an EMT and we need some agents to follow Gibbs down the passageway and give him some back up. NOW!" McGee yelled and dozens of agents started moving.

"I thought we almost lost you there." DiNozzo said, using his hanker chief and a bottle of water to start cleaning the blood off of her face.

"WHERE ARE THE BOLT CUTTERS!?" McGee bellowed down the hallway.

"You almost did." Felix smiled weakly.

"R-r-right here sir." Some nervous looking younger agent came running up with a pair of bolt cutters in his hands.

"About damn time." McGee growled, snatching the bolt cutters from the agent and running over to the bed. He sat down opposite of Tony and started to cut through the locks and chains on her arms. "We've been worried sick Felix."

"Yeah me too." She chuckled, "Took you assholes long enough. I coulda been dead if you were a minute later."

"You woulda been fine." Tony smiled and brushed the dark hair out of her face and McGee clipped open the other shackles. "You're like cockroaches and Cher - you can take on anything."

They helped her sit up and slip her arms into the jacket. "Where's Gibbs?"

"He went down the passageway with a grip of agents behind him, chasing Erik." Tony said as he attempted to put his arms underneath her to lift her off the bed.

"No, I want to walk out of here." She said weakly.

"Hey her leg's bleeding kind of bad." McGee said.

"Grab me that shirt McGee." Tony said taking off his belt.

"I don't mean to kill the mood, but, uh isn't this an inappropriate time Tony?" She said nodding towards Tony's belt.

He just chuckled, "You wish sicko." He said and whipped off his belt, happy to see her lopsided grin. McGee handed him the shirt and Tony folded it a few times and placed it on the three inch cut on her leg. It was pretty deep and bleeding pretty good, but the artery wasn't severed. He wrapped his belt around the leg and synched it tight, poking a new hole in his belt to keep it snug.

"Thanks, that feels better." She said, smiling weakly.

They helped her walk out to the ambulance where they undressed her, cleaned off her cuts and gave her leg a true dressing. She slipped on some clothes Gibbs had evidently brought for her: a red Marine Corps sweat shirt and a pair of loose sweat pants she had to roll at the waist.

"I think he's given me Coumadin. You might want to put something in me to counteract that so I don't bleed to death from this canker sore in my mouth." She smiled, the EMTs instantly charmed. She was sitting in the ambulance, grimacing while they gave her a shot of penicilin and a procoagulant to keep her bleeding from getting out of control.

"We should call you patches." Tony smiled, looking at Felix who sat in the ambulance, covered in white bandages and a big black beast at her side.

"Agent DiNozzo!" Someone yelled in the distance.

"What?" DiNozzo said, turning and looking for an agent who wasn't there.

Suddenly a short guy came running out from the side of the large farm house, "Sir, we lost them."

"You _WHAT_?!" DiNozzo and McGee both yelled.

"That passageway led to about ten different passages under ground. We have no idea where they went. No one has been able to find them and the coms are gone because we went under ground." He said nervously.

"Shit!" He growled and kicked at the tire of the ambulance, "McGee grab a shot gun we're going in to find him." He turned back to the agent and pointed in his face, "You, watch her!" He growled and took a step.

"Who sir?" The young agent replied nervously.

"HER!" DiNozzo bellowed and turned to point to the ambulance where Felix was sitting. "Shit!" DiNozzo growled when he saw that the ambulance was missing a petite black haired woman and a rather large black dog. He patted himself down and realized that his firearm was missing. "FUCK!" He said, "GATHER UP EVERYONE!" Tony bellowed and all the agents started grouping around him and McGee. "Get a partner we're going into the passage way and I don't want anyone unarmed or without a back up. This man in armed and dangerous. He's 6'3" dark hair, don't forget that, I don't want to bring back a young woman with any more holes in here, and I'm sure Gibbs will just spit out the bullet and ram a fist up your ass if you try to shoot him. LET'S GO!" He yelled.

The agents started falling in line and making their way into the house and down the rabbit hole. Searching for their boss, a girl, and their dog...


	13. Chapter 13

-13-

Gibbs tried not to look at Felix's ruined body as he passed by her to chase after Samuels. He made his way down the pathway as fast as he could, following the echoing footsteps in front of him. The pathway was dark and musty, dust was thicker in the air than oxygen and Gibbs was having a hard time breathing. The pathway seemed to get thinner the longer that he ran.

He reached a point where the tunnel split off into more than five separate pathways. It was dim so he pulled out his flashlight and looked around. The middle pathway had recent foot prints in it, so Gibbs followed it.

He didn't know how long he'd been running, but he wasn't going to give up that easily. He'd only stop once he had Erik in his sights. He traveled down the dark pathway, moving further and further away from Felix. He didn't know if she was stable, bleeding, sick, or even alive. The thought stopped him in his tracks, he had to lean up against the wall to regain his breath.

His anger brought him back into focus, and he started running faster, pushing harder. He finally started hearing some noise. The tunnel was an acoustic nightmare, if he could hear sounds from that far away, he was sure that Erik could hear him, so he slowed his pace to a walk and evened out his breathing. He clicked off his light and made his way closer and closer to the sounds.

He reached the end of the tunnel which opened up into a relatively big garage. Erik was packing things into an old pick up truck that, no doubt, was registered under a different name. Gibbs leaned back against the wall and made sure he had enough ammo to take the fucker down. He took a deep breath and turned the corner quickly, getting ready to empty as many clips as he could into Samuels and _then_ announce himself.

Before he could even start to speak, he saw Erik holding a pump action shot gun in his direction with one hand. Erik squeezed the trigger and let out a shot, so Gibbs continued with his momentum to the other side of the entryway, feeling a few buck shots tear into his flesh. He looked at his shoulder, which was now oozing blood and he bit back the pain.

"I know that took a lot out of you." Gibbs shouted, "Shooting a twelve gauge with only one hand, a gushing brachial artery, and a shattered shoulder would hurt like hell."

Erik just started laughing, "You think I give a shit? I know I got you on that last one, old man, so you're moving half the speed I am. I'll keep shooting until one of us is dead," He snarled.

"You're right about one thing." Gibbs chuckled back, "I'm going to kill you, just so you know."

"Yeah, your stupid bitch said the same thing Gibbs." Erik chuckled. "Why don't you come out, we can have a real draw, like gentlemen?"

"You think I'd trust you enough to not shoot me in the face once I pop my head out?" Gibbs chuckled, "You are crazy, especially if you think a girl like Felix would ever want you." He laughed.

Erik let out a strangled cry and shot out two more rounds of the buck shot. A few more ripped into Gibbs's shoulder, because unfortunately, loose packed dirt is not the best wall between yourself and a madman. "You ruined _everything!_" Erik howled, "You think I want her dead more than you? I wanted to make you suffer!"

"Well you did a good job I guess," Gibbs said and peaked slowly around, seeing Erik fully exposed, crying freely while his one useful hand held onto the shot gun, Gibbs retreated to his position and kept talking, "But I found her, and I'm gonna take her home, get her better, and take care of her for the rest of her life if it keeps her away from pieces of shit like you." He smiled, "You cant do what I can do for her." Gibbs said and he heard the sobs escalating. He swung out with the gun pointed body level with Erik.

"Nice try." Erik said, smiling sadistically, and he pulled the trigger again, sending a hail of buckshot at Gibbs. Thankfully his aim was off, however, Gibbs still caught a bunch of bullets in his lower arm, side and upper leg. He was tossed back into the wall, his gun clattering to the floor. He looked down at himself, sadly, and slid down the wall onto the floor.

_Take care of her Tony_. Gibbs thought as he felt blood seeping through his shirt and pant leg. He looked up as Erik walked closer to him and kicked the gun away.

Erik leveled the shot gun at Gibbs's face, smiling the entire time, "I don't need to have good aim at this distance."

Gibbs just chuckled, "You think I care? She's safe." He muttered, "And I'm old. How many shots you got left in that thing?"

Erik just grinned, "Enough to put you out of your pathetic existence." He said, grabbing the shot gun and cocking it, "I hope she gets to see your face when they pass you through autopsy. She was so sure you'd come to rescue her, like some fucking white knight." He kicked out at Gibbs and landed a blow to his gut, knocking the wind out of him, "More like grey knight." He laughed to himself.

"Fuck off and die." Gibbs smiled.

"Open your mouth for me," Erik smiled, "At least that way they can have an open casket at your funeral." He pressed the muzzle of the gun into Gibbs's cheek, digging it in and breaking the skin. "See you in hell." He smiled and went to pull the trigger.

Gibbs closed his eyes and saw Felix's face. He was satisfied dying in her stead. He was old and had lived a long life full of the good and bad. She had just gotten her life back on track and deserved more time to find a guy who could make her honest, give her a few kids, and love her for the rest of her life. He hoped it'd be a guy like Tony who could step in and take care of her. Tony would be a good match if he just took the time to grow up a little. He smiled as he heard the tension in the trigger start to ease, which signaled the beginning of the end. _Good-bye_. He thought idly, and for a moment he thought he heard Felix's voice.

"What the-," Erik muttered.

"_Anh dừng!!_"

And suddenly the muzzle was off of Gibbs's face and he decided to open his eyes. The light was bright and he was surprised that dying wasn't as scary as he thought, he didn't feel a thing.

He looked up and saw a black haired angel, bathed in light, and shrouded in darkness, a beast at her side. Maybe he was hallucinating from the blood loss, but it sure looked a hell of a lot like Felix. She dropped down to her knees and cupped his face in her hands.

"Am I dead? Cause you sure are good looking for the devil." He smiled.

Felix chuckled, her eyes welling with tears and she slapped his cheek playfully hard, "Knock it off you big pussy. I refuse to have you die trying to save me." She said and opened up his jacket to take a look at his shoulder. She tugged at the material of her pant leg, ripping off pieces and did her best to staunch the bleeding of all the little bullet holes, "That'd set back women's rights like sixty years." She muttered, her voice thick with the tears that were falling down her cheeks.

"Women have rights?" He groaned as she synched up his leg and then made a sling for his arm.

"You better believe it chauvie." She chuckled. "All right, get up old man. I'm not carrying your ass out of here." She helped him stand and then ducked underneath on of his arms, their lame legs on either side. "We can be each others crutches." She smiled up at him.

He looked down at her, smiling wide, "Damn if its not good to see your face again."

"I'd say the same for you." She said when they were finally situated enough to walk.

"What about him?" Gibbs said, nodding his head in Erik's direction.

Felix looked over at the man laying on the ground with his trachea slowly being crushed by Dexter's jaws. She leaned Gibbs up against the wall and walked over to Erik, lying on the ground, gasping for breath and trying desperately to swing at the dog. She kicked at one of his hands and slammed it to the ground beneath her boot. She gave her ankle a slight twist to make sure something got broken. By the look of anguish on his face and the voiceless screams he was trying to make, she judged she did something right.

"If you hurt my dog, I swear to God, I will utilize every fucking option of torture I was ever taught in the dark fucking jungles of South America." She growled. "Dexter, easy." She said and Dexter loosened the grip he had on Erik's throat, allowing him to take in a sharp breath.

"You fucking bi-," The last half came out as a wheeze when Dexter's jaws tightened.

"Dexter doesn't appreciate when you address me as such," She smiled sweetly and knelt down, her boot still on his hand. "What _should _I do with you?" Felix mused, looking him up and down as Dexter growled against the man's throat. "I have an idea." She smiled. "Dexter, hold tight." She said and Dexter gripped the man's neck tighter, causing him to wheeze all over again. Felix stood up and walked to Erik's legs and stomped on both of his knees, causing him to attempt to lash out, but Dexter held tight and Erik simply whimpered. Felix walked around Dexter, smiling at Erik the entire time. She stomped on one elbow and then the other, rendering his limbs completely useless. He was crying now, his mouth opening and closing with silence, like a fish struggling for air on land.

She walked over to his head and knelt down, placing one knee against his temple, she brushed her hand across his cheek, "I told you that _I_ would kill you tonight." She smiled and Erik's face went from red to deep blue, "But," She smiled and slapped him playfully, "You're right. I wont." She stood up and walked back over to Gibbs and ducked beneath his arm to carry his weight. "Dexter off." Dexter released his neck and simply started circling Erik, ensuring that the man would not move.

"So what?" Erik rasped, "You're just going to leave me here with your stupid fucking mutt to guard me? I'll find you again and I'll kill you this time. I'll slit Gibbs's throat and then fuck you in his blood and then I'll gut your dog while you both bleed out onto the floor you _fucking BITCH_!" He tried his best to scream.

Felix looked over her shoulder at Dexter, "Dexter, _feed_." She said and turned abruptly to start limping out with Gibbs over her shoulders.

"Wha-, What? No! NO!" Erik let out a blood curdling scream as Dexter lunged at him, starting with all the soft parts.

Felix and Gibbs were about halfway down the tunnel when they saw flashlights ahead, "NCIS Agent Rainier and Gibbs!" Gibbs shouted out, because Felix was trying her best to walk and sob at the same time.

"BOSS!" DiNozzo yelled, "FELIX!"

"WE'RE OVER HERE!" Gibbs yelled in response.

DiNozzo and McGee came running up with their guns drawn and flashlights flashing.

"Turn that shit off," Gibbs growled, "Its right in my eyes." He said squinting and squeezing Felix's shoulder gently.

"Yea boss," McGee said. "Jesus, are you two all right?"

Gibbs scoffed, "Yea McGee, I'm just bleeding to death, help me outta here." He growled and McGee automatically took his arm from Felix and ducked underneath it.

"You look like shit boss." DiNozzo smiled.

Gibbs grinned, "Nice to see you too Tony."

"Come on mi'lady." DiNozzo said and put his arm around her, "What the hell happened to your pants?" He said looking down at her torn pant leg.

Felix took a deep breath and steadied her voice, "Had to use them to fix Gibbs up."

"Rule number nine!" Gibbs yelled over his shoulder.

"Its kind of hard to keep your knife on you when a psychopath strips you naked and chains you to the bed!" Felix shouted after him.

"Rule number 27!" Gibbs yelled back.

"Number 27?" DiNozzo muttered looking down at Felix, who was starting to smile.

"Never mess with a marine's coffee if you want to live?" McGee said confused.

"That's 23!" Felix replied.

"Always be prepared." Gibbs chuckled as they wandered through the damp passageway.

They were limping along and DiNozzo purposefully slowed down with Felix, "What happened with Erik?"

"He-," She was interrupted by a shrill scream echoing down the passageway, "Don't worry about it."

DiNozzo chuckled, "Remind me never to piss you off." He smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"Two days Tony," Felix said, "Two days of being raped and beaten and I haven't had a cigarette or a cup of coffee. Two _fucking_ days." She muttered. "Felix's rule number 1: never fuck with a female ex-marine when she hasn't had her coffee and cigarettes."

"Is there a sub-rule, number 1.5, that says don't fuck with her while she's PMSing?" Tony chuckled.

"I'm going to smother you in your sleep one day and make it look like an accident." She glared up at him.

"How could smothering be accidental?" Tony smiled down at her.

"You're stupid, you'd figure it out." She winked.

"Har har har." Tony muttered.

They finally reached the outside, where dozens of squad cars and ambulances had surfaced. They got Felix and Gibbs into the back of one and got them cleaned up.

"All right Miss, we're ready to go." One EMT said.

"Uh, no we aren't." She said matter of factly.

"Excuse me?" He replied, confused.

"There's still another member of our team we're missing." Felix said taking a long drag off her bummed cigarette.

"Uh, who?" He replied.

Gibbs walked up and patted the guy on the shoulder, "Just go wait in the drivers seat, we'll let you know when we're ready."

"Sir, you guys have been through a lot, we need to get -,"

"Not. Yet." Felix said sternly through grit teeth.

"Uh, um, ok." The EMT said weakly and ran to the front of the ambulance.

Gibbs sidled up next to Felix and put and arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. Felix appreciated the small token, especially in front of the myriad of NCIS agents and police officers scowering the scene.

"Thanks for saving my life." Felix finally sputtered.

Gibbs nodded, "You're an integral part of the team..." he said a little lamely.

Felix chuckled and rolled her eyes, leaning into his good side and smoking her cigarette slowly. There was a loud yell from across the yard.

"Jesus!"

A male officer screamed like a nine year old girl.

"SHIT!"

"That thing is fucking HUGE!"

"DEXTER!" Felix yelled happily and Dexter came running over to her and leaned his large body against her when he jumped into the back of the ambulance and sat down. She hugged him tightly and almost lost her balance if it weren't for DiNozzo pulling up the rear. "Ok, we can go!" She smiled happily and hopped into the back of the ambulance with Gibbs, DiNozzo, and McGee.

They pulled the doors shut and Dexter laid happily beneath Felix, his head on her feet. She looked around and smiled at her team, unbelievably happy with the way things turned out.

"Thank you." She said softly, tears welling up in her eyes, "I don't mean to get all gay on you or anything, but, yea," She sniffled, "Thank you."

They all nodded at her, smiling. Gibbs leaned his head back, inhaling without pain for the first time since Felix had gone missing. He realized the hole in his chest was gone and that his mind and body felt cohesive. His team was together and safe, he was on his way to the hospital to get the pellets removed, and he'd be back at work as soon as possible and things would go back to being normal.

He sighed softly and reached out his hand, intertwining his fingers with Felix's. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it gently. She blushed furiously and smiled, feeling good for the first time in what seemed like a dismal eternity.

"You know you're really lucky that Dexter is so dark." McGee muttered nervously.

"Why?" Felix said, looking at McGee.

"Cause I'm pretty sure he's covered with blood."

Felix looked down and as sure as shit, Dexter was covered in blood.

"Uhm," Felix started, "DiNozzo, get me those towels would you?"

"On it." He muttered and threw her the towels.

Felix crawled onto the floor and started wiping down Dexter's muzzle and paws, "Jesus Dexter, be a little more considerate next time."

"That's the first step." Gibbs muttered behind closed eyes.

"To what?" Felix asked, looking up.

"Talking to yourself and/or to your pet, the first step to insanity." He said plainly.

Felix just smiled, "Its only weird when they start talking back." She said defensively, "And at least I wont need a walker to get there."

Gibbs just grinned.

_Ah, to be a team again._


	14. Chapter 14

-14-

It had been almost three weeks for Felix in the hospital. She'd lost a lot of blood during her days with Erik, not to mention severe trauma to the head and the numerous cuts, bruises, and bite marks that littered her body. She had a few cracked bones and was also drained of nutrients and she was dehydrated, so the doctors insisted on keeping her on lock down until she could process solid foods.

The damage to her leg was minimal, it was a deep cut, but it missed the femoral artery, thanks to Gibbs's marksmanship. Her face was healing up nicely with no need for any reconstructive surgery. Everyone knew was a tough cookie and it was hard to truly break her.

She was allowed visitors, at all hours, especially Dexter who charmed the pants off of all the hospital staff and frequently made rounds to the pediatric ward to visit children with severe illnesses. Abby brought him in almost everyday, along with plenty of hugs and kisses and tearful promises to go clubbing once Felix was back on her feet. Many times she had brought McGee and they tried to hold hands inconspicuously, which failed miserably, especially with DiNozzo around.

Gibbs had all the pellets removed with no major bone or artery damage. He had a few nicks and bruises, but overall he was fine. He went through minimal physical therapy and was allowed to be back on the job in less than two weeks. When he was hospitalized for a few days, he sat with Felix and talked almost all day. They also played cards and occasionally watched TV, holding hands. Now that he was back on duty he still took time out of each day to come visit her, play cards, talk, and watch TV. A few times they groped each other furiously, cursing the Nazi nurse who had some sort of pheromone radar and always seemed to interrupt at the most annoying times.

Today was her second and a half week anniversary, and it was starting to show.

"God damnit! I just want to eat a pizza or some fucking _Phở_!" She growled after the nurse delivered her a bowl of oatmeal and some mashed potatoes. "Who serves people oatmeal and mashed potatoes? HONESTLY!" She flopped down on her back, cursing the world for being so unfair.

"Do I have to shove it down your throat?" Gibbs smiled, scooting closer to the bed, "You need to eat more."

"I need to eat more _food_ Gibbs, this isn't food. Its cruel and unusual punishment!" She shouted, hoping the nurses could hear her. She leaned forward, smiling at Gibbs, "Actually I'm just hoping I can be evil enough to get kicked out, so I can go home and get myself some Chipotle or a fucking hamburger."

Gibbs just smiled, "Eat it." He said sternly, "You're getting too thin."

"Thanks _mom_." She said disagreeably and started shoveling in the food without really tasting it. "Uck," She said and put down her spoon, "I feel like I'm eating vomit. Is this food predigested!?" She shouted again.

Gibbs just chuckled, "Just eat." He said and nudged her plate.

She rolled her eyes at him, "I hate you." She growled.

"No you don't." He said, "That's a mean thing to say." And he made a pouty face.

Felix let out a bark of laughter, "If I could _truly _believethat you are capable of having emotions, maybe, _just maybe_, I would believe that face." She took a bite and then pointed her spoon at him, glaring, "But its a crock of shit and you know it." He grinned.

"We've missed you." He smiled.

"You and your libido or the team?" She chuckled, spooning in another mouthful.

"All of the above," He chuckled, "Any news on when you'll be back?"

"Well," Felix shrugged, "Considering I don't get shit canned for this debacle, soon I hope."

"Why would you get fired?" Gibbs asked, confused.

"Oh you're so dense." She smiled and rolled her food around in her bowl, "Gibbs, Abby's been telling me that there are rumors circulating NCIS."

He raised an eyebrow, "What kind of rumors?"

She sighed, "Rumors about you and me," She said lamely. "Rumors that Vance knows and I'm going to get shit canned because I'm the newbie." She bit her lip.

"I wont let that happen." He growled.

She shrugged, "I'm not sure there's anything you can do, Gibbs." She sighed, "I mean, you and me, we don't exactly have a label." She muttered and then continued nervously, "Not that I'm asking for one -," She sighed, "Its just that, well, if we want this to be serious, we have to report it to HR. If we report it to HR, I'll get canned because I'm the inferior officer. I'd be kicked off the team..." She left it hanging. "I'd probably be better off just transferring to another team or applying to work in the lab..."

"Do you want that?" Gibbs asked, staring at his lap.

"To be fired? Fuck n-,"

"I didn't mean that." He said and reached for her hand, rubbing his thumb along her knuckles. "The label. Do you want it?" She shrugged. He sighed, "Look Felix, I've spent a lot of time with you. You're a great girl and one hell of an agent-,"

"But." She said and pulled her hand away.

"But what?"

"The treacherous 'but' statement." Felix said and put up a hand, "Save me my dignity of being 'dumped' by my boss. I don't need that again."

He slapped her hand out of the way, "Knock it off, I'm trying to ask you a question."

She was taken back by his seriousness, "All right. Shoot."

"I vowed to myself that I'd never be involved with a co-worker."

"That's not a question, thats rule number 12." He glared. "Got it." She said, "Please Gibbs, I really don't want to do this right now." She bit her lip, tears starting to form in her eyes.

He looked at her with the Gibbs's glare and she shut her mouth, "Let me fucking talk," he growled, "I vowed I'd never be involved with a coworker, but it happened." He said seriously, "And I need to deal with those consequences." He reached for her hand again, "When you were abducted, I absolutely lost it. I couldn't think, I couldn't work, I could barely even breathe. Every time I closed my eyes, I thought of you and it almost drove me insane." Felix opened her mouth to say something and Gibbs glared at her again, so she remained quiet, "The thing is, I haven't felt this good in a long time. I feel better during the day, I'm smiling more often," He chuckled, "The thing is, I cant have you on my team because I would spend every fucking second of the day worrying about whether or not you would be all right."

"I understa-," He clamped a hand over her mouth.

"I'm not finished." He growled, "I care about you Felix. I really do. I don't want to loose you, but I don't want you at risk either." He said, his hand moving to caress her cheek. "I don't want to ask you to risk your career as an NCIS agent. I wont ask you to choose me or the agency because thats just ridiculous. I'm just being honest with my feelings for the first time in..." He tried to count the years, but he didn't have enough time, "In a long time. I'm too old to be playing the bachelor these days. I'm not asking for anything else, I'm just telling you how I feel: I care about you, I feel comfortable with you, and more importantly, I trust you." He stood up and kissed her softly on the lips. "Think about it okay? I'll see you back at work."

Once he was gone Felix let out her tears - she _hated_ being such a girl. Gibbs had very valid points, but she feared the _looks_ she'd start getting at NCIS if she was _that_ girl. She thought about her career and what she wanted out of life and she thought about Gibbs and whether or not he factored into that equation.

It was a hard decision, but he was right, he didn't need to play the bachelor anymore. He shouldn't have to fool around with his rookie, he deserved something better than that.

And Felix realized so did she. She could work with Gibbs, but she felt the same way. She worried about his welfare, wanted him to be okay, wanted to make sure he was safe, and a lot of times it got in the way of an investigation or a take down and _that_ was risking the lives of her team members in exchange for satisfying her primal needs with her boss. She dropped her head into her hands and felt her resolve shaking.

She loved Gibbs and she'd do the right thing...

...For the both of them.


	15. Epilogue

Epilogue - One year later...

Felix laid back in her chair, sipping her coffee and imagining a cigarette in her fingers. Her eyes were closed and she enjoyed the heat on her skin. It was relaxing, atoning almost, to feel her skin prickle and sweat under the rays. She loved the heat and desperately missed it in Virginia, but now... Now she could relish in it whenever she wanted.

"FELIX!"

Felix sat upright quickly and winced at the pain it caused, "Jesus, what the hell is up _your_ ass today?"

"Did you bring me coffee?"

"Its on the table." Felix groaned, flipping the off switch to the heat lamp. She stood up and walked over to the window, staring at the large grey clouds in the sky teeming with the dime sized rain drops falling to the streets.

"How are you feeling precious?"

Felix walked over to the desk and sat down, she pulled back her lab coat and placed a hand on her small buldge, "Peachy keen, I'd say."

"You make one fucking hot pregnant woman." Abby laughed, wiggling her eyebrows.

Felix chuckled, "Shut up Abby, I feel _HUGE._"

"You're only in your fourth month," She laughed, "You are gonna get _much_ bigger."

"Thanks for that inspiring thought Abby," Felix said acidly.

"Don't freak, you are still so tiny," Abby chuckled, "Just cause you've had a flat stomach all your life doesn't mean you need to freak out when you've got a few extra inches on your gut."

"Shove it Abby." Felix growled. "Why, again, did you disrupt my dreams of beaching it up in Maui or maybe Miami?"

Abby smiled, "Ugh, beaches," She said distastefully, "UV rays are harmful, especially for someone with _your_ skin type. You're whiter than me," She pulled up her shirt to expose her belly and then exposed Felix's pregnant belly, "You're translucent."

Felix rolled here eyes and slapped her hands away, "Why, oh pearlish one, have you disrupted my slumber?"

"Oh, cau-,"

"We've got another case." DiNozzo said, coming into the lab and going straight up to Felix slipping a hand up under her shirt and splaying his fingers on her belly, "Hiya baby!" Tony said in a childish voice, "You're gonna be the cutest thing in the world, aren't you pretty baby?"

"Tony!" Felix whined and pulled her shirt down, "Please stop fondling your coworkers. I'll report you for sexual harassment and make you take that stupid seminar again." Tony grimaced and stepped back, raising his hands in surrender.

"Hey guys!" McGee came walking in and kissed Abby on the cheek before placing the boxes of evidence on the desk. He also charged Felix and put a hand on her belly, "Awe, the baby's getting so big!" He said excitedly, "Uncle Tim will help you when you need to learn how to play video games," He rubbed her belly.

"Or hack into the CIA to erase the existence of the next person who touches my fucking belly!" Felix growled, glaring at Tony and McGee who took two rather large steps back.

"Someone needs to learn how to watch their language before the baby comes."

Felix turned to the doorway and smiled wide, "Hi ya Gibbs."

"Hi Felix, Hi Abbs." He said coming in and placing kisses on their cheeks. He walked over to the evidence and tapped on the box, "All right, so far we've got a quadruple homicide, a military family who lives off base, who died rather suddenly last night when someone broke into their home and shot them all at point blank range with a small caliber weapon." He looked to DiNozzo.

"So far we believe that this was not a robbery gone wrong, it was an excecution." He said and leaned against the table which moved slightly, causing DiNozzo to falter. Everyone had a hard time keeping their faces serious, he cleared his throat assertively, "Each family member was shot at point blank rage with a small caliber weapon which most likely had a silencer on it. They were all still lying in bed when their bodies were found, none of them had moved or even looked like they were woken up by a gun shot - which would do exactly that and quite efficiently too."

"They weren't moved back into bed?" Felix asked, Gibbs eyed her and grinned.

"Still got the invesitgatory touch?"

"Touch this." She said teasingly and flipped him off while sticking out her tongue.

"No, we believe that they were in bed when they were killed, judging by blood spatter as well as the fact that there really was no sign of struggle, other than the broken back door." DiNozzo smiled, "So ladies, it is now your turn to examine the evidence, run finger prints, and do your thing."

"On it Tony," Abby said in her most official sounding voice.

Felix snapped to attention and saluted him. She turned to Abby, "Which box you want?"

"Ummmm that one." She said and grabbed the first box.

"Sounds good." Felix smiled and turned to grab the next box, but Gibbs got in her way and instantly palmed her stomach.

"Hows the mommy to be?" He gave her and the baby one of his lopsided grins, which did nothing to display the emotion he actually felt.

"Fine." She smiled, feeling the heat rising up to her face, "Four months yesterday."

They started conversing and Tony and McGee snuck off to the elevator. Tony pressed the button and looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was walking up.

"How is it that Felix still looks hot even though she pregnant?" Tony asked.

McGee shrugged, "Pregnancy is a beautiful thing Tony, its like life's true calling for a woman, why would they _not_ be beautiful?"

"Awe," Tony ruffled McGee's hair, "Does McGroom fantasize about little McGeeblets running around some day?"

McGee unruffled his hair and glared at Tony, "Maybe I do Tony. What you've never thought of it?"

DiNozzo smiled in his evil way, "I probably have an heir or two running around..."

"God Tony..." McGee grumbled.

"But thats not what's preoccupying my mind right now," DiNozzo smiled and looked over to McGee, "You know Felix's tits are gonna get bigger right?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

THWACK!

"Awe!" DiNozzo grumbled rubbing the back of his head, "I think my eyeball almost popped out on that one boss!" He turned to look at Gibbs who was giving him the full Gibbs's glare.

"DiNozzo..." Gibbs growled from behind them, "Stop talking about my wife's tits."

DiNozzo's eyes widened, "Course boss..." He muttered as the elevator dinged open and he ran inside, putting his back to the back wall of the elevator before Gibbs and McGee got in. "Which wife would that be? I mean all of them were lookers," He smiled, looking at McGee, "They were all redheads of course, until Felix, but hell, she's firey anyways" He smiled, "You sure....are..........luc.....ky" DiNozzo finished as Gibbs turned slowly and ended up inches away from his face. "Right boss, shutting up."

Gibbs turned around as the doors closed, a small smile evident on his lips.

There was silence for a few moments.

"But hey, I mean, fifth times the charm, right?" DiNozzo muttered.

THWACK!

_fin_


End file.
